Is Ford Collecting Vehicle Location Data?

Virtually all new vehicles nowadays have some type of in-car navigation system that provide drivers with turn-by-turn directions to their destinations, as well as real-time traffic information and suggest alternate routes, which can certainly help them save some money on fuel and arrive at their destination a bit faster. But, in addition to providing traffic data and directions, these systems also collect location data and send them to car companies or location-based service providers. This is why car makers have come under fire recently, with some lawmakers raising doubts about consumer privacy and whether GPS devices are being used for gathering data about drivers' travel habits or for tracking police suspects. American giant Ford is one of the companies that is being scrutinized by privacy advocates over this practice.

About a month ago, Senator Al Franken (D-Minn.), requested a report from the Government Accountability Office regarding how automakers and GPS manufacturers use location data and who they share it with. The report concluded that these companies do collect travel data, and don't do enough to inform customers about this practice and prevent the data from being used by third parties.

Following this report, and after recent comments made by Jim Farley, Ford's executive vice president of marketing and sales, about how the company tracks drivers, Senator Franken asked Ford to explain their privacy policies. During a panel discussion at the Consumer Electronics Show that was held last month in Las Vegas, Farly said that his company collects data that have to do with people's whereabouts and their driving habits through the navigation systems that are installed in certain Ford vehicles.

Journalists attending the show reported that Farley said: "We know everyone who breaks the law, we know when you're doing it. We have GPS in your car, so we know what you're doing." This statement surely makes it seem like Ford is invading its customers' privacy rights, but Farley tried to assure people that they don't have to worry about that, saying: "By the way, we don't supply that data to anyone."

Although he later tried to downplay the situation, saying that Ford makes sure it gets vehicle owners' permission before it before it collects their data, his previous remarks were reason enough for Senator Franken to ask Ford CEO Alan Mullaly to explain in details what specific data the car maker collects, how it obtains consumer consent, who it shares the information with, and how long it keeps that information.

The company replied by stating that it only collects data to troubleshoot and improve their products, and that it does not share the data if it doesn't receive owner's explicit permission. Furthermore, Ford said that it keeps location data for no more than 60 days, but only in case an owner specifically requests it, and customers have the opportunity to call the company and ask it to delete the information immediately.

However, Senator Franken was not satisfied with these clarifications, and said that Ford needs to be much more transparent when it comes to informing their customers about collecting, storing and sharing location data, in order to ensure their right to privacy is preserved.

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