@kazani: Ford patents lip reading, iris scanning, and criminal database checks

Ford has filed patents for in-cabin systems that would read drivers' lips, scan irises, monitor heart rate, and check facial biometrics against a criminal database, according to a post by @kazani. The post says Ford Pro Telematics is already live, letting fleet managers pull a real-time video feed of drivers' faces, and that Ford's marketing materials connect that data to insurance outcomes. It also cites an ad-listening patent in which Ford describes "maximum opportunity for ad-based monetization" and notes no description of how the data is protected. The post lists the patent numbers 20260095520, 20250258278, and US-20240289844-A1.