Because data is now the world’s most valuable resource, it is not surprising that companies want their hands on every kind of data that they can get. It seems that car companies are no longer just interested in making profit through cars; they are now also interested in making money through gathering information.
To the public and to legislators, automakers market the systems as safety features. If a car can detect that a driver is angry or looking at their phone immediately before a crash, these companies reason, the onboard AI may be able to offer a warning the next time it senses similar behavior. Or, if it can determine how a child is positioned in the back seat, the car might deploy airbags more effectively in the event of a collision.
But safety is only one attraction of in-cabin monitoring. The systems also hold huge potential for harvesting the kind of behavioral data that Google, Facebook, and other surveillance capitalists have exploited to target ads and influence purchasing habits.
More details about this over at Vice.com.
What are your thoughts about this one? Do you think they have gone too far?
(Image Credit: Pixabay)
Newest 2 Comments
Yes, it has gone too far. Sensors to improve safety is one thing, but gathering data for advertising is too much. I can ignore adds that pop up, but what other data is being collected, is it being stored, who has access, and how will they use it against me? Could a dishonest person extort money from me by saying they are going to turn over info to an employer Unless they are paid? Reminds me of a Black Mirror episode.
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You pay for big brohter for riding shotgun. But Alexa, Cortana, Bixbi,Siri and so on are alrady spying on us with much more accuracy...
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