US Investigates Tesla for Steering Wheels That Can Fall Off
TimeDec 23, 2022
Report: Tesla Staff Shared Sensitive Footage Recorded by Cars
Image copyright: Getty Images [via Forbes]
The Facts
On Thursday, Reuters — citing nine former employees — reported that between 2019 and 2022, Tesla staff privately distributed sensitive images and videos captured by customers' vehicles via the company's internal messaging system.
The former staff claimed footage such as naked customers, road rage, car crashes and children was shared. Less comprising images, including dogs and road signs, were also distributed.
The Spin
Narrative A
Tesla's vehicles are a rolling privacy nightmare, which is why this latest report is unsurprising, albeit incredibly unnerving. The car manufacturer needs to be more forthcoming about its privacy practices, and those responsible for this unacceptable breach must be held to account. It's time that the government implements more concrete privacy laws.
Narrative B
While these allegations should be investigated, at this point, they are just that: allegations. Tesla has been transparent about its privacy practices and has done its due diligence by implementing safeguards to protect customers' data — which the car owners have complete control of.
Cynical narrative
The issue of privacy isn't unique to Tesla. As the world becomes increasingly automated by artificial intelligence, we become progressively reliant on someone else to protect our data and privacy. The uncomfortable reality is that this is an impossible task, and we should expect more "scandals" like this. But that's the price of convenience, and most seem all too keen to pay it.