Tesla Employees Have Been Spying On Drivers For Years
Tesla whistleblowers say the cars' video camera footage was captured and shared with employees.
While TikTok may be making headlines for their grilling by the United States government, Elon Musk’s company, Tesla, could be the next to find themselves in front of Congress. According to Reuters, a rogue group of the company’s employees revealed what could be some highly classified information, alleging that the vehicles, which are equipped with cameras, have been taking in user’s data this entire time. Stepping forward to speak, nine ex-employees are hanging Tesla out to dry and coming forth with claims that the top-notch technology is actually highly invasive.
From what has been put out surrounding how Tesla uses their in-car cameras, the company has always stuck to its guns, saying that the devices are only used to better ensure a safe ride for their drivers. They’ve also said that privacy is of the utmost importance to them, often adding that in no way, shape, or form are they using the technology for anything other than its suggested purpose.
However, these former employees say that the exact opposite is true and that the millions of customers who have shelled out the big bucks for their Tesla vehicles are in danger of a breach of privacy. The examples put forth by the claimants range in everything from the embarrassing to the horrifying with one allegation stating that the video camera caught a naked man approaching his vehicle while another describes a graphic accident in which a reckless driver, cruising at a high speed, hit a child on a bike.
Also in the mix were clips of dogs and road sign footage but with all taken outside the parameters of Tesla’s privacy-focused mindset, they could prove to be damaging to the company. The ex-employees say that the images were shared in an internal group message with many of the lighter shots made into insider memes. And, while it may be all fun and games for the lighter offenses, the possibility of what something like this could mean for the company moving forward could be majorly detrimental.
Because Tesla puts their stance as pro-privacy, these allegations are just a scandal waiting to happen. A separate employee made claims that several of the recordings appeared to have taken place when the car was not only parked but also turned off. While this used to be a function that owners were able to select, the company did away with it years ago, making the instances even more damning for the company.
Another statement claimed that the recordings were even rolling on people’s private property, revealing clips of their garages and homes to those with camera access.
This latest shakeup at Tesla is the last thing that CEO Elon Musk needs. After becoming one of the most hated men on social media following his Twitter takeover at the end of last year, Musk has been attempting to keep his head above water with seemingly the entire internet – including William Shatner – coming after him. While Musk and his company may be on the cutting edge of technology, they’ll certainly find it hard to continue to manufacture and produce their goods if those products are threatening the privacy of their consumers.
