Atrocious June 10th, 2026 Ford Account & App Terms and App Privacy Notice?

[l!ghtning]

So as I try to use the Ford App this week, I'm prompted to accept the Ford's Pass app Terms and Conditions and Privacy Notice. With AI being so prevalent now a days, for laughs and giggles, I threw the T&C and Privacy Notice to have AI analyze them from a consumer rights and privacy perspective. What I discovered is... painful and sad. Between Camera and Audio Logging, then selling the data it collects on you to social media companies (data monetization) for targeted audiences and forcing us to give up Class Action Waivers rights.... it's downright disrespectful that Ford would betray the customer trust relationship in this manner. Ford doesn't even provide an opt-out method like other companies.

Even logging into my Ford Account online to pay my bill forces me to accept these consumer privacy and rights attacks. Looks like I'll be switching to paper billing paying ford bills the good ol fashion way: USPS Mail and check.

I invite you to use your AI tool of choice to copy/paste the terms and conditions and privacy policies before hitting accept. The more push back businesses receive from the people giving them money, the more respectful they become of the people giving them money. Your choices matter.

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[reddog21]

I don't need AI to tell me that companies that say there not selling my data are still selling my data, it's not going to stop me from conducting business online.

 

[Maxx]

Any lawyers in the house?

1 - If Ford breaks my App that is tied to the vehicle I purchased from them and then provids a button to fix the app but instead of the word "Fix" on the button, they use the word "Accept", am I wrong to assume they just labeled it incorrectly?

2 - My understanding is that if I sign a paper that says I won't sue someone for cutting my legs off and then they cut off my legs, I still can sue them. Does this apply to class action law suits?

p.s. unless it is some vicious seriously damaging negligence, I wouldn't participate in putting Ford out of business to make a law firm richer but I have serious problems with Ford selling or giving out my information.

 

[Shmoe]

Any lawyers in the house?

1 - If Ford breaks my App that is tied to the vehicle I purchased from them and then provided a button to fix the app but instead of the word "Fix" on the button, they use the word "Accept", am I wrong to assume they just labeled it incorrectly?

2 - My understanding is that if I sign a paper that says I won't sue someone for cutting my legs off and then they cut off my legs, I still can sue them. Does this apply to class action law suits?

p.s. unless it is some vicious seriously damaging negligence, I wouldn't participate in putting Ford out of business to make a law firm richer but I have serious problems with Ford selling or giving out my information.

If only capitalism gave you a remedy!

 

[Maxx]

If only capitalism gave you a remedy!

It does. Use the broken system to pick other people's pockets faster than they pick yours.

Ford is trying to protect their pocket while they are picking ours. I consider my information my property (I know it sounds naive but I do).

 

[carys98]

Between Camera and Audio Logging, then selling the data it collects on you to social media companies (data monetization)

Just curious. I just read through the T&C and did not see the section where they are selling data. Can your AI point me to that specific section.

 

[Shmoe]

It does. Use the broken system to pick other people's pockets faster than they pick yours.

Ford is trying to protect their pocket while they are picking ours. I consider my information my property (I know it sounds naive but I do).

That's fine too, but you're also free to attempt to vote with your wallet and take your business elsewhere.

 

[Maxx]

That's fine too, but you're also free to attempt to vote with your wallet and take your business elsewhere.

Do you know any modern EV maker that sell in U.S. that wouldn't sell or share my info and wouldn't take a feature or capability hostage to do it? I would be all over it for my next purchase.

It is always good to have options

 

[Shmoe]

Do you know any modern EV maker that sell in U.S. that wouldn't sell or share my info and wouldn't take a feature or capability hostage to do it? I would be all over it for my next purchase.

It is always good to have options

Hence the use of "attempt" Ford will take out your telematics unit on request if you like. But you lose all the features obviously.

Slate's probably as close as you'll get but that's an unknown.

 

[NWilson]

Do you know any modern EV maker that sell in U.S. that wouldn't sell or share my info and wouldn't take a feature or capability hostage to do it? I would be all over it for my next purchase.

It is always good to have options

We're a couple years from start of production, but Scout Motors CEO Scott Keogh said at their reveal event something to the effect of Scout customers will never be a commodity, meaning that Scout will not sell your personal information.

Remains to be seen if that holds true once they start production and deliveries.

 

[fhteagle]

Reason number 666 why this is my first and last Ford product.

 

[reddog21]

Reason number 666 why this is my first and last Ford product.

Honestly, you might as well just stop buying anything at this point. Ford is no different that any other company.

 

[ctuan13]

So as I try to use the Ford App this week, I'm prompted to accept the Ford's Pass app Terms and Conditions and Privacy Notice. With AI being so prevalent now a days, for laughs and giggles, I threw the T&C and Privacy Notice to have AI analyze them from a consumer rights and privacy perspective. What I discovered is... painful and sad. Between Camera and Audio Logging, then selling the data it collects on you to social media companies (data monetization) for targeted audiences and forcing us to give up Class Action Waivers rights.... it's downright disrespectful that Ford would betray the customer trust relationship in this manner. Ford doesn't even provide an opt-out method like other companies.

Even logging into my Ford Account online to pay my bill forces me to accept these consumer privacy and rights attacks. Looks like I'll be switching to paper billing paying ford bills the good ol fashion way: USPS Mail and check.

I invite you to use your AI tool of choice to copy/paste the terms and conditions and privacy policies before hitting accept. The more push back businesses receive from the people giving them money, the more respectful they become of the people giving them money. Your choices matter.

One of a million reasons why I have never used the Fordpass app and have my TCU disconnected.

 

[Newton]

Just curious. I just read through the T&C and did not see the section where they are selling data. Can your AI point me to that specific section.

Good question! AI hallucinates things, it will take many different analyses of different terms of service and produce words that sound similar. It has no actual understanding of the legal terms. This is why it is so bad for, well, anything, but especially legal stuff. Lawyers using AI to write their briefs will find it citing authoritative cases that do not exist.

Surprisingly (or not) the US government got caught out by this:

The White House is downplaying major citation errors in a sweeping report on chronic disease in children released last week by the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission. The report, spearheaded by Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., cited hundreds of studies and was billed as an example of “radical transparency” and “gold standard” science. But the nonprofit news publication NOTUS reported yesterday that multiple studies cited in the report—which took aim at ultraprocessed foods, pesticides, prescription drugs, and childhood vaccines—don’t appear to exist. ...

Several researchers whose supposed work was cited in the MAHA report confirmed to NOTUS that the cited papers didn’t exist. Epidemiologist Katherine Keyes, who is listed in the MAHA report as the first author of a study on anxiety and adolescents, has done research on the topic before but told NOTUS she had never written the specific paper cited in the report. “The paper cited is not a real paper that I or my colleagues were involved with.”

I urge everybody to think twice before letting AI do your thinking for you.

 

[DavidS]

Hence the use of "attempt" Ford will take out your telematics unit on request if you like. But you lose all the features obviously.

Slate's probably as close as you'll get but that's an unknown.

I’ve read that Slate has no telematics. I’m guessing that any app would only be for handling things like service, accessories, and loan services, so Slate’s ability to monetize you would be directly limited to any information you willingly shared.

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