S.T.O.P. Condemns Ford Eavesdropping Tech

S.T.O.P. condemns the Ford Motor Company for seeking to patent in-vehicle eavesdropping tech that monitors passenger conversations to personalize ads.

View this email in your browser For Immediate Release S.T.O.P. Condemns Ford Eavesdropping Tech (New York, NY, 9/24/2024) – Today, the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project (S.T.O.P.), a New York-based privacy and civil rights group, condemns the Ford Motor Company for seeking to patent in-vehicle eavesdropping tech that monitors passenger conversations to personalize ads. The civil rights group warned that Ford is putting highly sensitive passenger data at risk and potentially facilitating more “cartapping” by law enforcement, expanding police’s use of existing eavesdropping tech through modern cars’ emergency response systems and hands-free microphones. SEE: Malwarebytes Labs - Ford wants to eavesdrop on passenger conversations to help target ads https://www.malwarebytes.com/blog/news/2024/09/ford-seeks-patent-for-conversation-based-advertising Gizmodo - Ford Seeks Patent for Software That Records Your Conversations to Serve You Ads https://gizmodo.com/ford-seeks-patent-for-software-that-records-your-conversations-to-serve-you-ads-2000497099 “From where we go to who we call, our cars already know too much about us,” said Surveillance Technology Oversight Project Communications Director Will Owen. “Now Ford wants to patent spyware that listens in on our most intimate conversations while we’re driving, all in the name of targeted ads. This isn’t just surveillance capitalism on overdrive, but a dangerous policing tool in the making.” In 2022, S.T.O.P. released Wiretaps on Wheels: The Acceleration of Automotive Surveillance, a research report detailing how new cars collect enormous amounts of passenger data, sending it to carmakers and police. Last year, the civil rights group released Roadblock to Care: Barriers to Out of State Travel for Abortion and Gender Affirming Care, detailing surveillance of patients seeking out-of-state abortions and gender-affirming care, including from cars. SEE: Press Release - S.T.O.P. Report Shows Cars Are Wiretaps On Wheels https://www.stopspying.org/latest-news/2022/11/1/082og8n5k5usnoiyee0tiu5dcuieih Press Release - S.T.O.P. Report Details Surveillance Threats To Abortion, Gender-Affirming Care Travel https://www.stopspying.org/latest-news/2023/7/18/stop-report-details-surveillance-threats-to-abortion-gender-affirming-care-travel The Surveillance Technology Oversight Project is a non-profit advocacy organization and legal services provider. S.T.O.P. litigates and advocates for privacy, fighting excessive local and state-level surveillance. Our work highlights the discriminatory impact of surveillance on Muslim Americans, immigrants, and communities of color. --END-- CONTACT: S.T.O.P. Executive Director Albert Fox Cahn  Copyright © 2021 Surveillance Technology Oversight Project, All rights reserved. Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.