The electric car manufacturer Tesla has recently come under fire after it was discovered that former employees had been sharing recordings of customers with each other. Private recordings of individuals’ Tesla cars were reportedly circulated via chat rooms and other resources. The leaked recordings included a child being hit by a car, a couple having an intimate experience in the cabin, a Tesla customer washing her vehicle almost unclothed, and some private conversations taking place before the car when the vehicle was stopped.
In response to the reports, Tesla has issued a press statement claiming that all recordings remain anonymous and securely stored and encrypted on their servers. The company’s ‘Customer Privacy Notice’ states that all its vehicle camera recordings remain anonymous. However, two of the battery vehicle manufacturers agree that their cars often leak location details to them, thus revealing the identity of the owner living in the vicinity.
So, under these circumstances, questions are being raised as to who should be held accountable. Is it the car, the user, or the employee/s?
In conclusion, the news of Tesla’s former employees sharing customer recordings has raised serious questions about data privacy and security. Companies should ensure that customer data is stored safely and securely, and any violations of these policies should be met with strict penalties. Furthermore, customers should be given the option to opt-out of data collection and monitoring.