Anthony Posted January 9, 2014 Share Posted January 9, 2014 (edited) Not quite as bad as Michael Bay's.... http://www.businessinsider.com/ford-exec-gps-2014-1 Which he has since retracted: http://www.businessinsider.com/ford-jim-farley-retracts-statements-tracking-drivers-gps-2014-1 Edited January 9, 2014 by Intrepidatious Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hugh Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 Ooops... I don't think that was the worst comment ever made. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
All-Or-Nothing Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 Another reason Farley will never be CEO. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justins Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 (edited) I'd say his initial quote is closer to the truth of the matter... Edited January 10, 2014 by justins Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hugh Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 I'd say his initial quote is closer to the truth of the matter... If you read any owners agreement with pretty much anything, you are probably correct. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grbeck Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 (edited) I wish Toyota would track drivers of its cars this closely. Then, when a Camry or a Corolla driver is blocking the passing lane, some person at Toyota's equivalent of OnStar can shout through the sound system speakers, "Speed up or move over." Edited January 10, 2014 by grbeck 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hugh Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 http://www.autoblog.com/2014/01/10/ford-farley-apologizes-for-gps-tracking-customers-comment/ Update. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
probowler Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 I wish Toyota would track drivers of its cars this closely. Then, when a Camry or a Corolla driver is blocking the passing lane, some person at Toyota's equivalent of OnStar can shout through the sound system speakers, "Speed up or move over." Amen! How about an update to Lane Keeping in which Sync says: "You've been in the left lane for a while now, when's the last time you passed a car? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryan1 Posted January 11, 2014 Share Posted January 11, 2014 "We have GPS in your car, so we know what you're doing. By the way, we don't supply that data to anyone." Which vehicles can Ford track? All vehicles? Also, what does "we have GPS in your car" mean? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted January 11, 2014 Share Posted January 11, 2014 Also, what does "we have GPS in your car" mean? It means "we have GPS in your car". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeff_h Posted January 11, 2014 Share Posted January 11, 2014 (edited) "We have GPS in your car, so we know what you're doing. By the way, we don't supply that data to anyone." Which vehicles can Ford track? All vehicles? Also, what does "we have GPS in your car" mean? The EVs and PHEVs use MyFordMobile (MFM) to manage their vehicles, driving, and charging - and part of the site will show where the car is currently located. Owners set up accounts, but you can use the below link and choose "enter as guest" to see what the site looks like. There is also a mobile app version. https://phev.myfordmobile.com/content/mfm/en_us/site/my-car/home.html Edited January 11, 2014 by jeff_h Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryan1 Posted January 11, 2014 Share Posted January 11, 2014 By what does "we have GPS in your car" mean I want to know how that works. Apparently the GPS is not because of the built in Sony nav units, it comes from Sync which is standard. What I want to know is if GPS is always on and the vehicle can be tracked when the vehicle is off. Or does it have to be running? Just how can one disable this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted January 11, 2014 Share Posted January 11, 2014 Not sure about sync but MFT has the GPS receiver in it with or without Navigation. It can't be disabled. It only works when the vehicle is on and I'm pretty sure it just records info but doesn't transmit it anywhere. This is nothing new and applies to most mfrs today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryan1 Posted January 11, 2014 Share Posted January 11, 2014 Not sure about sync but MFT has the GPS receiver in it with or without Navigation. It can't be disabled. It only works when the vehicle is on and I'm pretty sure it just records info but doesn't transmit it anywhere. This is nothing new and applies to most mfrs today. According to this article it does transmit when you give consent and giving cosent is using nav or clicking the Sync button. Ford on Thursday denounced those comments. “Ford is absolutely committed to protecting our customers’ privacy,” company spokesman Wes Sherwood said. “We do not track our customers. No data is transmitted from the vehicle without the customer’s express consent.” Customers give consent when they use a navigation or voice-activated system. http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20140109/AUTO0102/301090127/1148/AUTO01/Ford-exec-apologizes-saying-company-tracks-customers-GPS The agency said privacy advocates worry location data could be used to market to individuals and to “track where consumers are, which can in turn be used to steal their identity, stalk them or monitor them without their knowledge.” This is all new to me. I know about the boxes that collect data inside the vehicle. But I didn't know Ford was transmitting GPS data back to them and the customer's express consent to this tracking is merely using SYNC which could be someone changing the radio station or temperature. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoonerLS Posted January 11, 2014 Share Posted January 11, 2014 I would think it would be included in Sync, as having GPS data would make some parts of Sync Services (like turn-by-turn navigation) more useful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Triple-Tap Posted January 11, 2014 Share Posted January 11, 2014 I know people are going to be throwing their tin-foil hats...but put this situation into perspective. 1. If you have a cell phone, you are getting tracked by your wireless telecommunication company. Also, if you have iOS or Android, you are getting tracked there too. 2. Ford is stating that they don't sell this information. Great I suppose? 3. I wouldn't mind my GPS information being sent to a central server for traffic/data aggregation, as long as it helps with traffic information. (Look at Google/Waze for outsourcing traffic with high degree of accuracy). This honestly isn't a big deal as some websites/people are making it out to be. If all Ford vehicles could communicate back to a central server (highly encrypted and randomized), to enhance traffic information and alleviate congestion... I'd be all for it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted January 11, 2014 Share Posted January 11, 2014 There is no way for Ford to transmit that data without making an outbound call on your cell phone. I don't think using the nav system constitutes giving "consent" for this data to be retrieved and used by Ford. I think the data stays in the vehicle unless it's downloaded by a dealer or Ford rep. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoonerLS Posted January 11, 2014 Share Posted January 11, 2014 I've not looked into it, but I'm guessing the "consent" could be in relation to Sync Services, which does use your cell phone. I thought it was just a voice connection, but it's certainly possible that they could be uploading limited GPS data as part of the service. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justins Posted January 12, 2014 Share Posted January 12, 2014 There is no way for Ford to transmit that data without making an outbound call on your cell phone. I don't think using the nav system constitutes giving "consent" for this data to be retrieved and used by Ford. I think the data stays in the vehicle unless it's downloaded by a dealer or Ford rep. Nope. It wouldn't need to make a call per se, but simply use your data connection. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted January 12, 2014 Share Posted January 12, 2014 Nope. It wouldn't need to make a call per se, but simply use your data connection. It can't "simply use your data connection" over bluetooth. You'd have to enable tethering on your phone first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoonerLS Posted January 12, 2014 Share Posted January 12, 2014 FWIW, Ford does acknowledge the collection and transmittal of "vehicle travel information" as part of the Terms and Conditions of Sync Services: https://support.ford.com/tools/account/sync-terms It doesn't say how the information is transmitted, only that it may be logged and transmitted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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