Sometimes, it can feel like our electronic devices are listening to us. Moments after talking about a particular subject, our apps show us advertising for those exact products or services.
However, major car company Ford has been less subtle about such activity, putting forward a patent for in-vehicle technology that would do just that.
As MotorTrend reported, Ford has proposed a system that can utilize different sources of information to play customized ads in your car.
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Voice commands would be one of the things your vehicle could monitor. Slightly more disturbingly, your car could choose whether to put a visual ad on your display screen or play an audio ad depending on the level of conversation in a vehicle.
It could also play ads relevant to where your navigation system is taking you or for certain businesses in the vicinity of your location.
MotorTrend was keen to stress that this isn't something Ford will add to new models imminently but rather that the American brand is safeguarding its intellectual property. In fact, the outlet also shared a statement from Ford, which said, "The ideas described within a patent application should not be viewed as an indication of our business or product plans."
Still, even the plan has already riled up motorists, with plenty on Reddit demonstrating their anger about this potential introduction to their daily commute.
"I feel like Ford is looking at a list of things that would make me and all my friends never consider buying them again, and saying 'yeah, let's do that,'" one user said.
"I won't consider any car that does this," added another.
First, there is the aspect of safety to consider. Advertising on roadside billboards is bad enough, drawing our eyes from the road to whatever a company is trying to sell you.
Having these ads regularly pop up on screen would easily divert attention, and audio ads might give you a little shock if played during an otherwise quiet drive.
It's also another example of the roots of consumerism further extending into our lives. Advertising is popping up in unexpected locations, such as at the beach or on water fountains, encouraging us to buy more things.
Often, these are items we simply don't need, and excessive consumption leads to more waste, which typically ends up populating pollution-producing landfills.
But being constantly bombarded by advertisements can also be detrimental to our mental health. A study from the University of Warwick, summarized by Harvard Business Review, detailed that higher advertising spend in European countries correlated with less satisfied citizens.
This eavesdropping technology remains just an idea for now, but it's clear motorists are not thrilled about this potential addition to vehicles.
"We need to find a way to remove problems we're creating," read a comment on Reddit. "For the sake of humanity, ads need to go."
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