Ford CEO Alan Mulally is the latest to say that the car industry needs regulation when it comes to drivers' privacy, countering claims last week from another Ford official who said the company knows what drivers are doing at all times.
The Dearborn, Mich.-headquartered company is discussing potential laws with regulators, Mulally said Tuesday at the Detroit Auto Show, according to Forbes.
Mulally, 68, talked to reporters about the importance of privacy in an era where nearly everything is connected. After former contractor Edward Snowden leaked National Security Agency documents last year revealing heavy government surveillance, Americans have been put on edge when it comes to data privacy.
"It's just really important that we have boundaries and guidelines to operate," Mulally said at the Detroit Auto Show. "Our homes, the cars, everything is going to be on the Internet. Everything's going to be connected. And so what are the guidelines? What do we want?"
The remarks from the Ford chief were a sharp contrast to remarks made last week by Jim Farley, Ford's executive vice president of global marketing.
Farley told an International CES panel that Ford can use its installed GPS systems to know when drivers are speeding.
"We know everyone who breaks the law; we know when you're doing it. We have GPS in your car, so we know what you're doing," he said, as quoted by Business Insider. "By the way, we don't supply that data to anyone."
Soon afterward, Farley completely rescinded his statements and said Ford can't track drivers through the systems.
Mulally further clarified at the Detroit Auto Show.
"What he said was not right," Mulally said. "We do not track the vehicles. That's absolutely wrong. We would never track the vehicles. And we'd only send data to get map data if they agree that that's OK to do that, but we don't do anything with the data, we don't track it and we would never do that."
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