Ford Motor Company has filed a patent for a biometric authorization system that may be used in future Ford vehicles, Ford Authority has learned.
The patent was filed on February 2nd, 2022, published on November 12th, 2024, and assigned serial number 12142022.
The Ford Authority Take
Ford has explored different ways it may use biometric technology to replace keys for vehicles via a number of recently patent filings, with ideas such as a facial recognition entry system, as well as a keyless entry keypad with a biometric system. The automaker clearly hasn’t given up on that idea either, as this newly published patent outlines yet another, similar idea for a biometric authorization system that may be used in future Ford vehicles, too.
Much like the aforementioned technology, this idea for a biometric authorization system would use sensors to identify individuals and those seeking to gain access to a vehicle. In this case, that system could use a wide variety of biometric data to authorize a user, including facial recognition or fingerprints. In recent years, we’ve seen this type of technology used for all kinds of purposes, and it’s starting to make its way into airports as a quicker and easier way to move people through security checkpoints, too.
After users set up their own biometric data with a vehicle, this system would use multiple methods to authorize them, or in the case of someone that isn’t authorized, it would also deny them entry to the vehicle, as well as the ability to start it. This type of concept is interesting in that it provides an extra layer of security, perhaps helping to prevent vehicle theft in the event that someone steals a key or intercepts and clones a key fob signal, which has been an increasingly common problem in recent years – if it indeed comes to fruition, at least.
Comment
Why is Ford trying to make simple things more complex? This is just another layer of surveillance technology so Ford will know exactly who is driving the vehicle so they can trace all your movements and sell that information to data brokers. The more common biometric usage becomes, the more instances of your biometic data need to be stored, the more likely it is to be stolen and used against you.