The Car of the Future Will Sell Your Data
By Gabrielle Coppola and David Welch
As smarter vehicles become troves of personal information, get ready for coupon offers at the next stoplight.
Picture this: You're driving home from work, contemplating what to make for dinner, and as you idle at a red light near your neighborhood pizzeria, an ad offering $5 off a pepperoni pie pops up on your dashboard screen.
Are you annoyed that your car's trying to sell you something, or pleasantly persuaded? Telenav Inc., a company developing in-car advertising software, is betting you won't mind much. Car companies - looking to earn some extra money - hope so, too.
***** Moderator's Note *****
If this happens, automakers and their vendors will wind up with a bad taste in their mouths: drivers will quickly deduce that those paying for the ads might also be paying to have the GPS data modified to route traffic past their stores.
Bill Horne Moderator