SNITCH-O-METER: Ford Motors files patent for in-car device to detect speeding, report drivers to law enforcement

Ford Motors has developed a new technology that effectively acts as a speeding snitch-o-meter. America’s oldest automobile manufacturer prefers to call their new development the “Systems and Methods for Detecting Speeding Violation” and the company has filed a patent with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to ensure that it's proprietary to their vehicles. In practice, it would detect speeding cars in proximity to the car in which the device was installed and report them to law enforcement.

The technology, which would be built in future vehicles, uses internal sensors to monitor and report speeding infractions by other cars on the road, CBT News reports, adding that “[t]his move is part of Ford’s ongoing innovation in vehicle technology and law enforcement tools."

The system would allow Ford vehicles to photograph speeding cars, chart their GPS location and send it immediately to the nearest police station for perusal and potential arrest.

But is it legal, let alone ethical? Even though police are already using photo radar to nab speeders and people failing running red lights, CBT News notes that this latest innovation may violate the data privacy of ordinary Americans who are unaware the car they just passed is a spy vehicle.

Over half of America’s police cars are manufactured by Ford, CBT says. While the new device might improve road safety, it will certainly be another source of government surveillance, albeit one provided by the private sector.

Automakers, like Ford, are already selling information about driving habits to data brokers who then sell it to insurance companies, The New York Times has reported. While debate continues about the privacy concerns of Ford’s new surveillance system, the company has backpedaled on its commitment to “green” energy.

Ford has delayed the introduction of the electric truck after cutting back on EV-150s because of low consumer demand. The US government is also encroaching on privacy of car drivers in the name of safety. In his 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, President Joe Biden mandated that all new cars by 2026 must be outfitted with factory installed breathalyzers.

All vehicle manufacturers are currently subject to severe Environmental Protection Act regulations ordered by the Biden-Harris administration.