9 ms·

Ford Eyes Use of Customers’ Personal Data to Boost Profits

112 points by arayh 8y ago

sbhn 8y ago
Considering that your web activity generates enough money to keep large amounts of people employed, your driving activity would to. I can see Free car journeys in exchange for your attention so that it can be sold to advertisers along with your current location. Some examples are, you are approaching Mac Donald’s, or a competing petrol station, a competing supermarket, or hardware store.
- Skunkleton 8y ago
  Where does it end? At some point a real profit generating product must be sold, otherwise who is paying for ads?
Rainymood 8y ago
Just like any other good hackernews reader, I read the comments first and only then decide whether to read the article. As I read this post and there were no comments, I'll take the liberty of trying to provide a nice comment that might or might not induce you to read the rest of the article. Ford CEO Jim Hackett said this in a podcast: >“The issue in the vehicle, see, is: We already know and have data on our customers. By the way, we protect this securely; they trust us. We know what people make. How do we know that? It’s because they borrow money from us. And when you ask somebody what they make, we know where they work, you know. We know if they’re married. We know how long they’ve lived in their house because these are all on the credit applications. We’ve never ever been challenged on how we use that. And that’s the leverage we got here with the data.” He explicitly stated "we protect this securely", a statement that I am extremely cautious about and wouldn't touch with a ten feet pole. Just this statement from the CEO has cemented my idea to never ever buy a Ford wagon. Of course, a backlash on Twitter ensued, as some user responded: >“I heard it yesterday, and was appalled,” tweeted another. “No concern whatsoever for privacy and no reflection on whether or not this is a GOOD thing. Talked about linking with personal medical data while in the vehicle. No thought to ethical considerations. Another Zuckerberg. Disturbing.” Ford is failing financially and as Ford is a company, it will do anything to stay alive, self-preservation, very human, but of course a company would rather stay alive exploiting our data than to make a gracious exit: >With sales of vehicles flagging worldwide, the company is finding itself running out of financial freeway, so to speak. And even in the U.S., its strongest market, Ford is seeing little vehicular success of late beyond sales of its trucks and SUVs). Accordingly, the automaker is wisely taking steps to be more fully integrated into people’s lives, by expanding into ancillary businesses that at first would seem to run counter to its mission. The beginning of the post is basically fear mongering (and I'm glad I read on) as later a Spokesperson for Ford is being quoted saying the following: >“In the podcast ... Jim Hackett was painting a picture of the future possibilities of data use given the long-term relationship and trust we have with our customers,” she said. “Specifically, it is important to know we do not sell or monetize information from customer credit applications. We take seriously our obligations related to how we use this information. With regard to all data use, we are committed to protecting customer privacy and we do that by ensuring transparency and appropriate consent in the collection and use of all customer data.” In the end it says this >This story was updated at 5:25 p.m. EST with comments from Ford’s spokesperson. In other words, this article was first published without quotes from the spokesperson, maybe Ford saw the article and felt pressured? Anyway, I think the article is mostly fear-mongering amongst our more privacy oriented people, but at the same time I will keep a closer eye on Ford.
- pintxo 8y ago
  > we do that by ensuring transparency and appropriate consent in the collection and use of all customer data. I read this as: "We will make sure that we will hide deep down in the terms of service you consent to us selling you data to the highest bidder"
  - nkrisc 8y ago
    Yes. "Appropriate" consent simply means "legally defensible" consent. This is a reassurance meant for shareholders, not end users.
  - Sylos 8y ago
    I'm especially curious how they plan to do that in the EU. The GDPR requires that you separate your requests for consent for ads from the consent for stuff which is actually necessary to be provided the service. If customers don't consent to their data being used for ads, you can't use it for ads, but you also can't blackmail them by not providing the service then. Also, you as a company are responsible to have the customer understand what they're signing. If all of these would be done correctly, why would anyone ever sign the consent sheet for you processing their data to show them ads? All they get out of this, is their personal data at risk of being leaked.
- logfromblammo 8y ago
  Not just Ford and Ford Credit. Never use dealer financing. You will always get a better deal through a bank that makes car loans, or your credit union. At the very least, via the haggling leverage in being able to keep secret the maximum amount you can afford to pay. You may also get better terms on the note, but even a higher interest loan could be a better deal, if the principal is negotiated to a lower amount. You will also have to avoid GM Financial, Ally (formerly GMAC), and TD Bank (formerly Chrysler Financial) as lenders. I have no idea whether or not they have a data sharing program with dealers, but I wouldn't risk it. Best is paying in cash. Keep your budget secret. Never let the salesperson know what you would be willing to pay, or you will end up paying exactly that. Never speak in terms of what you can afford, and speak exclusively in terms of the value of a vehicle in relation to its list price.
softwaredoug 8y ago
I remember thinking GDPR was yet another intrusive EU bureaucratic exercise. Now I wish it was the norm in the US. I’m starting to think at a minimum it should be the floor of how data professionals ethically use user data.
- toomuchtodo 8y ago
  Call your Congressional representatives!
- freehunter 8y ago
  It really is one of those game changers that makes you realize the way we've always done things isn't necessarily the right way. We're so used to being abused by marketers that it's hard to see any other way to use the Internet.
- pentae 8y ago
  We should force every US politician to try and delete an Adobe ID in exchange for keeping their jobs and see how long before new laws come out.
- switch007 8y ago
  I think it's early days to judge the effects of the GDPR. If websites are anything to go by, the primary effect on cars will be (if not already) pop ups on the touchscreen to agree to the new T&Cs.
  - taejo 8y ago
    As long as those T&Cs have a "no" button which still lets me drive the car (which most interpretations of the GDPR not made by surveillance companies themselves seem to require) I'm happy.
    - deleted 8y ago
      [deleted]
im_down_w_otp 8y ago
I look forward to the dash lights of my car being sporadically replaced w/ ads for the very car I've already purchased.
janesvilleseo 8y ago
It’s not just Ford. Here is an article about GM. This is just the beginning of how they will monetize their product. Well it’s not a product anymore it will transition into a service as car ownership fades away. Watch these ads for a reduced ride fee https://www.theverge.com/2018/10/17/17990052/gm-radio-listen-tracking-habits-advertising-future https://www.theverge.com/2018/10/17/17990052/gm-radio-listen...
- hi5eyes 8y ago
  verge also did a podcast with the head of ford https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/vox/the-vergecast/e/56312430 https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/vox/the-vergecast/e/5631243...? https://www.theverge.com/2018/9/18/17872198/ford-autonomous-vehicle-llc-sherif-marakby-interview https://www.theverge.com/2018/9/18/17872198/ford-autonomous-...
ape4 8y ago
Just click on "Skip Ad" so you can adjust the fan.
- gargravarr 8y ago
  Then an unskippable ad for Burger King before you're able to roll down the window as you pull up at the McDonalds drive-thru.
mox1 8y ago
Fords 2020 R&D Budget: 1. Battery technology - 5% 2. Lighter weight materials - 5% 3. safer cars - 5% 4. Popup ads in the windshield - 85% What could go wrong?!
- dredds 8y ago
  Ford buys e-scooter company Spin for $100 million. Ford has committed to making a $200 million investment in the startup.
- Ibethewalrus 8y ago
  “Insert link to ad in car scene from Talladega Nights” ... Found it! https://youtu.be/Bvi9zpHlrvg https://youtu.be/Bvi9zpHlrvg
quest88 8y ago
This article reports on what was said on a podcast and then turns speculation. What a sensational headline and bland article.
- luma 8y ago
  The CEO of a company the size of Ford making statements about the future direction of the company w/r/t digital assets seems newsworthy, no matter the venue.
mikestew 8y ago
"Sales are down, anyone have an explanation?" "Well, sir, it seems young people today just aren't as enamored with cars as with previous generations." "Is there anything to be done?" "Privacy has been in the news a lot lately. What if...I'm just spitballin' here...but what if we made our products even less appealing? Have the CEO rattle off all the shit we know about customers, and then talk about how we're going to MON-OH-TIZE the shit out of those data? I mean, nothing else is working." "Out-STANDING, Johnson. I see a promotion in your future!"
- oliv__ 8y ago
  Could that possibly have anything to do with the fact that cars today are only a shadow of what they were back then. They are all the same roundish blob of mass, with no particular shape at all, no angles, HUGE and all around cheap and plasticky.
  - mikestew 8y ago
    Back when, exactly? Because if you're complaining about size, I remember when a '70s Dodge Dart passed for "compact car". (For reference, youngin's, you could put multiple bodies in the trunk of a Dodge Dart.) And a shadow of what? Gas-guzzling V8s that put out a whopping 250bhp? 350bhp if you were lucky? With drum brakes to haul yer ass down to zero? My 72 year old mother drives a '16 Corvette that puts out 450bhp and gets 25mpg. It'll stop so fast you can feel your retinas loosening. I'd have to take it to a track to get it out of shape, I dare not test its handling limits on a public road. All for $50K. (EDIT: oh, and aesthetics? I loathed those swoopy, gaudy, plastic penismobiles. Until I saw the new ones and said, "I would now like to own a Corvette, for it is much hotness.") Other examples abound. If you're into cars, there is no better time than now. No, I think it has more to do with the collective realization that maybe a car is less a ticket to freedom and more an albatross around the neck of its owner. Expensive, dirty, and in urban areas an increasingly annoying way to get around. I was thinking just yesterday, as the fuel light came on in our ICE car, "gawd, what a pain in the arse these things are. I'll be glad when all of the vehicles in our house are electric." And I'm old. Or more simply, maybe we collectively figured out that automobiles make a poor substitute for a penis.
vernie 8y ago
I guess they gave up on fixing their dogshit powertrains.
samfisher83 8y ago
They see a google and facebook which are young companies which are worth more than every auto company in the world combined and they are tying to copy that. Most of these auto companies are 100+ years old and all together are worth less than google and facebook. Google and Facebook make almost all their money through ads.
- gargravarr 8y ago
  When you think about it, a car is as much an ad on wheels as a mode of transport.
- Sylos 8y ago
  Which I think is a dangerous train to be getting on. The GDPR is likely only the first such law, other countries will also enact some form of privacy laws. And the first round of lawsuits from the GDPR are still underway. Once those have gone through, things should hopefully change quite a bit more still, as most companies are still in violation of the GDPR. And if that all does go through, the business model of Google and Facebook is going to become much less profitable.
- JKCalhoun 8y ago
  They should try instead to copy Apple. And make very nice hardware....
wcarron 8y ago
Welp, guess I won't be purchasing the mustang I wanted. This has got to stop. Like the final paragraph states: If I pay for a vehicle in cash, I damn well don't feel like paying with my privacy and data, too. This is the very same reason I'll never use Windows. Telemetry is an invasion of privacy. It's also why the "right to repair" is such an important issue. Owners of cars (or any device, for that matter) should be able to go into the software (including breaking encryption) and disable or remove components that report data to external sources. If I want cheap services in exchange for data, I'll go with Lyft. Fuck yourself, Hackett.
- djrogers 8y ago
  > If I pay for a vehicle in cash, I damn well don't feel like paying with my privacy and data, too. Well, to be fair all of the data the CEO was talking about wouldn’t be in play if you actually paid in cash - he specifically called out the data collected in the loan process, not data obtained from the vehicle itself. Of course slippery slopes are a thing for a reason...
  - Deinos 8y ago
    In that case, I am sure they would be ok with a longer term and 0% APR at a minimum for the data provided...
- Skunkleton 8y ago
  As a current owner of a Mustang, and as a customer of Ford Credit, I will not be making another purchase if they go in this direction.
  - wcarron 8y ago
    Shame, too. The 2019 Mustang GT with the PPL2 looks awesome. Oh well. There are other nice cars out there.
    - Skunkleton 8y ago
      It really does. Thankfully I have a 2016 mustang, and would have a really hard time justifying a new one to myself. I am looking forward to my next car though. I am thinking I will probably get something from the 90s. Maybe a jeep.
SN76477 8y ago
Transportation as a service is coming.
- gargravarr 8y ago
  It's already here. I know people who sold their cars and rely on Uber now. I also know people who never owned a car and take taxis everywhere. It's not new.
  - bashmonkey 8y ago
    That works if you live in or near a city centre, but I live far outside the city and drive 25 minutes to work one way. Uber would be expensive compared to the cost of petrol and my already-low car payment. Even if you extrapolate out the cost of the car payment, petrol, and insurance, I'm still ahead.
- brokenmachine 8y ago
  That's fine but it needs to be more appealing than private ownership if it's going to succeed. ATM I'm quite happy to pay more to have a nice personal form of transport. Public transport is slow, dirty and inconvenient. Uber and taxis are only ever so slightly less so. Car sharing cars are not as nice to drive as the one I own. It would be awesome if there was a good alternative, but having my data mined or being subjected to ads in my own vehicle will never happen while I'm paying.
nighthawk1 8y ago
Ford: Ford reiterated that it “will deliver on the company’s commitment of 100 percent connectivity of new vehicles in the United States by 2019" I think an easy next step would be to display ads on the console when the vehicle is stopped. Would be fairly easy software wise and that ad model is already working with Waze.

112 points by arayh 8y ago

sbhn 8y ago

Considering that your web activity generates enough money to keep large amounts of people employed, your driving activity would to. I can see Free car journeys in exchange for your attention so that it can be sold to advertisers along with your current location. Some examples are, you are approaching Mac Donald’s, or a competing petrol station, a competing supermarket, or hardware store.

Skunkleton 8y ago
Where does it end? At some point a real profit generating product must be sold, otherwise who is paying for ads?

Rainymood 8y ago

Just like any other good hackernews reader, I read the comments first and only then decide whether to read the article. As I read this post and there were no comments, I'll take the liberty of trying to provide a nice comment that might or might not induce you to read the rest of the article. Ford CEO Jim Hackett said this in a podcast: >“The issue in the vehicle, see, is: We already know and have data on our customers. By the way, we protect this securely; they trust us. We know what people make. How do we know that? It’s because they borrow money from us. And when you ask somebody what they make, we know where they work, you know. We know if they’re married. We know how long they’ve lived in their house because these are all on the credit applications. We’ve never ever been challenged on how we use that. And that’s the leverage we got here with the data.” He explicitly stated "we protect this securely", a statement that I am extremely cautious about and wouldn't touch with a ten feet pole. Just this statement from the CEO has cemented my idea to never ever buy a Ford wagon. Of course, a backlash on Twitter ensued, as some user responded: >“I heard it yesterday, and was appalled,” tweeted another. “No concern whatsoever for privacy and no reflection on whether or not this is a GOOD thing. Talked about linking with personal medical data while in the vehicle. No thought to ethical considerations. Another Zuckerberg. Disturbing.” Ford is failing financially and as Ford is a company, it will do anything to stay alive, self-preservation, very human, but of course a company would rather stay alive exploiting our data than to make a gracious exit: >With sales of vehicles flagging worldwide, the company is finding itself running out of financial freeway, so to speak. And even in the U.S., its strongest market, Ford is seeing little vehicular success of late beyond sales of its trucks and SUVs). Accordingly, the automaker is wisely taking steps to be more fully integrated into people’s lives, by expanding into ancillary businesses that at first would seem to run counter to its mission. The beginning of the post is basically fear mongering (and I'm glad I read on) as later a Spokesperson for Ford is being quoted saying the following: >“In the podcast ... Jim Hackett was painting a picture of the future possibilities of data use given the long-term relationship and trust we have with our customers,” she said. “Specifically, it is important to know we do not sell or monetize information from customer credit applications. We take seriously our obligations related to how we use this information. With regard to all data use, we are committed to protecting customer privacy and we do that by ensuring transparency and appropriate consent in the collection and use of all customer data.” In the end it says this >This story was updated at 5:25 p.m. EST with comments from Ford’s spokesperson. In other words, this article was first published without quotes from the spokesperson, maybe Ford saw the article and felt pressured? Anyway, I think the article is mostly fear-mongering amongst our more privacy oriented people, but at the same time I will keep a closer eye on Ford.

pintxo 8y ago
> we do that by ensuring transparency and appropriate consent in the collection and use of all customer data. I read this as: "We will make sure that we will hide deep down in the terms of service you consent to us selling you data to the highest bidder"
- nkrisc 8y ago
  Yes. "Appropriate" consent simply means "legally defensible" consent. This is a reassurance meant for shareholders, not end users.
- Sylos 8y ago
  I'm especially curious how they plan to do that in the EU. The GDPR requires that you separate your requests for consent for ads from the consent for stuff which is actually necessary to be provided the service. If customers don't consent to their data being used for ads, you can't use it for ads, but you also can't blackmail them by not providing the service then. Also, you as a company are responsible to have the customer understand what they're signing. If all of these would be done correctly, why would anyone ever sign the consent sheet for you processing their data to show them ads? All they get out of this, is their personal data at risk of being leaked.
logfromblammo 8y ago
Not just Ford and Ford Credit. Never use dealer financing. You will always get a better deal through a bank that makes car loans, or your credit union. At the very least, via the haggling leverage in being able to keep secret the maximum amount you can afford to pay. You may also get better terms on the note, but even a higher interest loan could be a better deal, if the principal is negotiated to a lower amount. You will also have to avoid GM Financial, Ally (formerly GMAC), and TD Bank (formerly Chrysler Financial) as lenders. I have no idea whether or not they have a data sharing program with dealers, but I wouldn't risk it. Best is paying in cash. Keep your budget secret. Never let the salesperson know what you would be willing to pay, or you will end up paying exactly that. Never speak in terms of what you can afford, and speak exclusively in terms of the value of a vehicle in relation to its list price.

softwaredoug 8y ago

I remember thinking GDPR was yet another intrusive EU bureaucratic exercise. Now I wish it was the norm in the US. I’m starting to think at a minimum it should be the floor of how data professionals ethically use user data.

toomuchtodo 8y ago
Call your Congressional representatives!
freehunter 8y ago
It really is one of those game changers that makes you realize the way we've always done things isn't necessarily the right way. We're so used to being abused by marketers that it's hard to see any other way to use the Internet.
pentae 8y ago
We should force every US politician to try and delete an Adobe ID in exchange for keeping their jobs and see how long before new laws come out.
switch007 8y ago
I think it's early days to judge the effects of the GDPR. If websites are anything to go by, the primary effect on cars will be (if not already) pop ups on the touchscreen to agree to the new T&Cs.
- taejo 8y ago
  As long as those T&Cs have a "no" button which still lets me drive the car (which most interpretations of the GDPR not made by surveillance companies themselves seem to require) I'm happy.
  - deleted 8y ago
    [deleted]

im_down_w_otp 8y ago

I look forward to the dash lights of my car being sporadically replaced w/ ads for the very car I've already purchased.

janesvilleseo 8y ago

It’s not just Ford. Here is an article about GM. This is just the beginning of how they will monetize their product. Well it’s not a product anymore it will transition into a service as car ownership fades away. Watch these ads for a reduced ride fee https://www.theverge.com/2018/10/17/17990052/gm-radio-listen-tracking-habits-advertising-future https://www.theverge.com/2018/10/17/17990052/gm-radio-listen...

hi5eyes 8y ago
verge also did a podcast with the head of ford https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/vox/the-vergecast/e/56312430 https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/vox/the-vergecast/e/5631243...? https://www.theverge.com/2018/9/18/17872198/ford-autonomous-vehicle-llc-sherif-marakby-interview https://www.theverge.com/2018/9/18/17872198/ford-autonomous-...

ape4 8y ago

Just click on "Skip Ad" so you can adjust the fan.

gargravarr 8y ago
Then an unskippable ad for Burger King before you're able to roll down the window as you pull up at the McDonalds drive-thru.

mox1 8y ago

Fords 2020 R&D Budget: 1. Battery technology - 5% 2. Lighter weight materials - 5% 3. safer cars - 5% 4. Popup ads in the windshield - 85% What could go wrong?!

dredds 8y ago
Ford buys e-scooter company Spin for $100 million. Ford has committed to making a $200 million investment in the startup.
Ibethewalrus 8y ago
“Insert link to ad in car scene from Talladega Nights” ... Found it! https://youtu.be/Bvi9zpHlrvg https://youtu.be/Bvi9zpHlrvg

quest88 8y ago

This article reports on what was said on a podcast and then turns speculation. What a sensational headline and bland article.

luma 8y ago
The CEO of a company the size of Ford making statements about the future direction of the company w/r/t digital assets seems newsworthy, no matter the venue.

mikestew 8y ago

"Sales are down, anyone have an explanation?" "Well, sir, it seems young people today just aren't as enamored with cars as with previous generations." "Is there anything to be done?" "Privacy has been in the news a lot lately. What if...I'm just spitballin' here...but what if we made our products even less appealing? Have the CEO rattle off all the shit we know about customers, and then talk about how we're going to MON-OH-TIZE the shit out of those data? I mean, nothing else is working." "Out-STANDING, Johnson. I see a promotion in your future!"

oliv__ 8y ago
Could that possibly have anything to do with the fact that cars today are only a shadow of what they were back then. They are all the same roundish blob of mass, with no particular shape at all, no angles, HUGE and all around cheap and plasticky.
- mikestew 8y ago
  Back when, exactly? Because if you're complaining about size, I remember when a '70s Dodge Dart passed for "compact car". (For reference, youngin's, you could put multiple bodies in the trunk of a Dodge Dart.) And a shadow of what? Gas-guzzling V8s that put out a whopping 250bhp? 350bhp if you were lucky? With drum brakes to haul yer ass down to zero? My 72 year old mother drives a '16 Corvette that puts out 450bhp and gets 25mpg. It'll stop so fast you can feel your retinas loosening. I'd have to take it to a track to get it out of shape, I dare not test its handling limits on a public road. All for $50K. (EDIT: oh, and aesthetics? I loathed those swoopy, gaudy, plastic penismobiles. Until I saw the new ones and said, "I would now like to own a Corvette, for it is much hotness.") Other examples abound. If you're into cars, there is no better time than now. No, I think it has more to do with the collective realization that maybe a car is less a ticket to freedom and more an albatross around the neck of its owner. Expensive, dirty, and in urban areas an increasingly annoying way to get around. I was thinking just yesterday, as the fuel light came on in our ICE car, "gawd, what a pain in the arse these things are. I'll be glad when all of the vehicles in our house are electric." And I'm old. Or more simply, maybe we collectively figured out that automobiles make a poor substitute for a penis.

vernie 8y ago

I guess they gave up on fixing their dogshit powertrains.

samfisher83 8y ago

They see a google and facebook which are young companies which are worth more than every auto company in the world combined and they are tying to copy that. Most of these auto companies are 100+ years old and all together are worth less than google and facebook. Google and Facebook make almost all their money through ads.

gargravarr 8y ago
When you think about it, a car is as much an ad on wheels as a mode of transport.
Sylos 8y ago
Which I think is a dangerous train to be getting on. The GDPR is likely only the first such law, other countries will also enact some form of privacy laws. And the first round of lawsuits from the GDPR are still underway. Once those have gone through, things should hopefully change quite a bit more still, as most companies are still in violation of the GDPR. And if that all does go through, the business model of Google and Facebook is going to become much less profitable.
JKCalhoun 8y ago
They should try instead to copy Apple. And make very nice hardware....

wcarron 8y ago

Welp, guess I won't be purchasing the mustang I wanted. This has got to stop. Like the final paragraph states: If I pay for a vehicle in cash, I damn well don't feel like paying with my privacy and data, too. This is the very same reason I'll never use Windows. Telemetry is an invasion of privacy. It's also why the "right to repair" is such an important issue. Owners of cars (or any device, for that matter) should be able to go into the software (including breaking encryption) and disable or remove components that report data to external sources. If I want cheap services in exchange for data, I'll go with Lyft. Fuck yourself, Hackett.

djrogers 8y ago
> If I pay for a vehicle in cash, I damn well don't feel like paying with my privacy and data, too. Well, to be fair all of the data the CEO was talking about wouldn’t be in play if you actually paid in cash - he specifically called out the data collected in the loan process, not data obtained from the vehicle itself. Of course slippery slopes are a thing for a reason...
- Deinos 8y ago
  In that case, I am sure they would be ok with a longer term and 0% APR at a minimum for the data provided...
Skunkleton 8y ago
As a current owner of a Mustang, and as a customer of Ford Credit, I will not be making another purchase if they go in this direction.
- wcarron 8y ago
  Shame, too. The 2019 Mustang GT with the PPL2 looks awesome. Oh well. There are other nice cars out there.
  - Skunkleton 8y ago
    It really does. Thankfully I have a 2016 mustang, and would have a really hard time justifying a new one to myself. I am looking forward to my next car though. I am thinking I will probably get something from the 90s. Maybe a jeep.

SN76477 8y ago

Transportation as a service is coming.

gargravarr 8y ago
It's already here. I know people who sold their cars and rely on Uber now. I also know people who never owned a car and take taxis everywhere. It's not new.
- bashmonkey 8y ago
  That works if you live in or near a city centre, but I live far outside the city and drive 25 minutes to work one way. Uber would be expensive compared to the cost of petrol and my already-low car payment. Even if you extrapolate out the cost of the car payment, petrol, and insurance, I'm still ahead.
brokenmachine 8y ago
That's fine but it needs to be more appealing than private ownership if it's going to succeed. ATM I'm quite happy to pay more to have a nice personal form of transport. Public transport is slow, dirty and inconvenient. Uber and taxis are only ever so slightly less so. Car sharing cars are not as nice to drive as the one I own. It would be awesome if there was a good alternative, but having my data mined or being subjected to ads in my own vehicle will never happen while I'm paying.

nighthawk1 8y ago

Ford: Ford reiterated that it “will deliver on the company’s commitment of 100 percent connectivity of new vehicles in the United States by 2019" I think an easy next step would be to display ads on the console when the vehicle is stopped. Would be fairly easy software wise and that ad model is already working with Waze.