According to the latest news, China’s government is restricting the use of Tesla Inc,’s electric vehicles by some state and military personnel. People familiar with the effort announced that the American electric vehicle maker’s cars could be a source of national security leaks.
This comes after China led a security review of the vehicles. They reportedly found that Tesla’s sensors could record images of their surrounding locations. The Chinese government says that the company could obtain various data such as the time and location of use of the cars. Furthermore, people familiar with the matter said the company can get personal information of the drivers and the contact list of mobile phones that are synced to the cars. The government worries that some data could be transferring back to America.
The Chinese government has informed some of its agencies to ask their employees to stop driving Tesla cars to work. Some people assumed Tesla cars were also banned from driving into housing compounds for families of personnel working in sensitive industries and state agencies. Among the government’s concerns is that Tesla vehicles can constantly be in record mode. They can use cameras and other sensors to log various details, including short videos.
Shares of an American electric vehicle and clean energy company, Tesla fell by more than 1.8% Friday morning.
Notably, Tesla’s China market has had an increasing role in the company’s deliveries and production. The company’s sales in China more than doubled in 2020 to $6.66 billion, or 21% of the $31.54 billion total. In 2019, Tesla’s China sales git $2.98 billion, just 12% of the $24.58 billion total.
A representative for Tesla in China refused to comment on the military’s move.
Tesla uses several small cameras to help guide parking
Like many other automakers, Tesla uses several small cameras, mainly located on the outside of the vehicle. These are in place to help guide parking, autopilot, and self-driving functions. Furthermore, the majority of Tesla models also have an interior camera mounted above the rearview mirror. The mirror can be utilized to identify whether a driver is looking at the road, looking down at their lap, or wearing sunglasses.
Earlier in March, the billionaire Musk tweeted that the company’s FSD beta trial had been expanded to about 2,000 owners. Still, Tesla had also revoked beta where drivers did not pay enough attention to the road. Musk announced the next significant release of the FSD beta would be in April.
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