Will you need an ad blocker for your car?

It’s hard to navigate the modern web without ad-blocking software. Ford now has a patent that will bring the ads we hate to your vehicle’s infotainment system. (via PCMag)

Ford has already responded to the criticism with typical corporate spiel about patents not necessarily being the direction the company will go with future products, but it’s hard to imagine other automakers not planning similar systems, since they’re already charging extra for heated seats, EV range, and performance. Serving ads to a captive audience in your personal vehicle and targeting them based on listening to passenger conversations would be a new low. You might be willing to pay an extra $100 a month for an “ad-free experience.”

Instead of using the EV transition to make better, simpler cars, automakers are using their highly computerized nature to get more out of you and deliver less when you drive off the showroom floor. Enshittification has arrived for the car. Maybe auto execs should read A Few Reasonable Rules for the Responsible Use of New Technology ?

The first step to blocking these ads will likely be jailbreaking your infotainment system. As if that weren’t enough, paywall blocking features have also appeared for wheelchairs.