Tesla, the electric car maker founded by Elon Musk, has been accused of violating its customers’ privacy by allowing some of its employees to access and share sensitive images and videos recorded by the vehicles’ built-in cameras. According to a Reuters report, based on interviews with nine former Tesla employees, groups of workers privately shared via an internal messaging system sometimes highly invasive videos and images recorded by customers’ car cameras between 2019 and 2022.
Some of the recordings caught Tesla customers in embarrassing situations, such as being naked, having sexual wellness items, or crashing their cars. One ex-employee described a video of a man approaching a vehicle completely naked. Another crash video in 2021 showed a Tesla driving at high speed in a residential area hitting a child riding a bike, according to another ex-employee. The child flew in one direction, the bike in another. The video spread around a Tesla office in San Mateo, California, via private one-on-one chats, “like wildfire,” the ex-employee said.
Other images were more mundane, such as pictures of dogs and funny road signs that employees made into memes by embellishing them with amusing captions or commentary, before posting them in private group chats. While some postings were only shared between two employees, others could be seen by scores of them, according to several ex-employees.
Tesla states in its online “Customer Privacy Notice” that its “camera recordings remain anonymous and are not linked to you or your vehicle.” But seven former employees told Reuters the computer program they used at work could show the location of recordings – which potentially could reveal where a Tesla owner lived. One ex-employee also said that some recordings appeared to have been made when cars were parked and turned off. Several years ago, Tesla would receive video recordings from its vehicles even when they were off, if owners gave consent. It has since stopped doing so.
“We could see inside people’s garages and their private properties,” said another former employee. “Let’s say that a Tesla customer had something in their garage that was distinctive, you know, people would post those kinds of things.”
The employees who shared the recordings were part of a team called “labelers,” whose job was to identify different objects in pictures and videos to help teach the cars’ AI how to respond in different driving situations. That information was then provided to the engineers to improve Tesla’s automated self-driving systems. Examples of these objects range from street lane lines to emergency vehicles. In some cases, workers said, they were required to view and identify items inside people’s garages to help the cars learn how to back out safely when in Tesla’s Autopilot feature.
The workers also claimed that Tesla managers would intermittently crack down on the sharing, citing company privacy policies, but more often than not would look the other way.
This privacy breach could have serious consequences for Tesla, both legally and reputationally. Customers who trusted Tesla with their personal data may feel betrayed and violated by the company’s lack of oversight and control over its employees’ behavior. They may also seek legal action against Tesla for violating their privacy rights and exposing them to potential harm or embarrassment. Moreover, potential customers who are considering buying a Tesla may be deterred by this scandal and opt for other brands that offer more privacy protection and transparency.
Tesla has been known for its innovation and vision in the electric car industry, but it has also faced criticism and controversy over its safety, quality, and customer service issues. This latest privacy breach could damage its brand image and customer loyalty, and undermine its competitive edge in the market. Tesla needs to take swift and decisive action to address this issue, such as conducting an internal investigation, disciplining or firing the employees involved, strengthening its privacy policies and procedures, and apologizing to its customers and stakeholders.
