Tesla has no competition among cars in data collection. In order to be able to evaluate the interventions of the assistance systems, she will have the road in front of you. To catch thieves or vandals, she monitors the area around the car in the garage. And of course he knows his location. This is espionage, the Chinese military has ruled out, and has banned Tesla from entering its premises. A similar “recommendation” from the government for ministry staff followed.
COMMENT: Data collection and fast sharing are Tesla’s strengths. The manufacturer justifies them by their importance for the development of assistants and to facilitate the investigation of possible accidents. “Whenever customers get in the car, they help us improve the automatic steering systems,” confirms Elon Musk.
Critics point out that the cameras also film other road users or passers-by in a parked car. And also that the records can be paired with data about the time and position of the vehicle. Tesla rejects this, videos with a filmed ride are said to be sent without vehicle or user identification marks.
It is thus committed to voluntary respect for human privacy and the rules of a decent society, as we understand it in Western society. The Chinese regime sees it differently. Technically, cars could combine information, so according to the authorities, they pose a security risk.
The assessment came to light last week when two anonymous sources confirmed to Reuters the ban on entry into military facilities, including hostels. According to The Wall Street Journal should not be Tesla even employees of ministries and important state-owned companies go to work.
The accusation is embarrassing. Cars from other brands do not send pictures and videos of their surroundings to the headquarters, but Tesla is sold all over the world. Army or police officers travel to guarded facilities in Germany or Israel. And that Beijing would only notice the danger now that Tesla has been sold there since 2013?
Reuters is looking for an explanation in politics. The accusation was probably intended to exacerbate the atmosphere ahead of a meeting between US and Chinese diplomats last Thursday. When Americans have warned for years about the spy potential of Huawei’s communications equipment, China has counterattacked with Tesla.
Such an explanation gives logic to the absurdity, timing and irony that the hostage of Chinese politics has become a company that has been willing to play a game with local propaganda in recent years.
Beijing conspicuously favored and pampered Tesla as the mascot of its good relations with the West and the careful protection of foreign investment. But that’s life, and Elon Musk is educated enough to know that if the communist regime decides to make you a spy, the facts go away.
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