--- title: "Ford Patents Tech to Annoy Drivers With In-Car Advertisements" description: "Ford has patented technology that scans billboards for information and delivers it to the car's display. Learn more about these in-car ads." date: "2021-05-11" modified: "2021-05-19" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/ford-patents-tech-in-car-advertisements" categories: - "Advanced Transport" tags: - "advertising" - "ford" - "the digest" --- # Ford Patents Tech to Annoy Drivers With In-Car Advertisements ![Ford has patented a piece of technology that could prove to be a major headache for its customers — that is, if it ever makes it into the company's cars.]() *\Image: Image via Pixabay/Futurism\* ## Scanning Billboards US automaker [Ford]() has patented a piece of technology that could prove to be a major headache for its customers — if, that is, it ever makes it into the company's cars. A [new patent]() filed by the car company suggests Ford cars could soon scan the car's surroundings for billboard advertising and interpret that information to deliver contextual information to the car's display, as [spotted by automotive publication *Motor1*](). Such information could include the advertiser's phone numbers, products, or directions to a particular store — an invasive vision of the future of driving. ![]() ## Distracted Driving It's a dystopian vision of our advertising-laden present and near future. Such a feature could also represent a major distraction for future drivers, as *Motor1* points out. But as of right now, it's nothing more than a patent. In other words, there's no guarantee the feature will ever materialize. Ford submits "patents on new inventions as a normal course of business, but they aren’t necessarily an indication of new business or product plans," the company told *Motor1* in a statement. Let's hope this particular concept isn't any indication of where Ford is headed. **READ MORE:** [Ford Patents Terrible Billboard Scanning Tech, Shows In-Car Ads]() \[*Motor1*\] **More on Ford:** *[Ford CEO Mocks Tesla For Rolling Out Half-Finished Autonomous Driving]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()