According to Reuters, former Tesla employees have alleged that sensitive photos and videos captured by the cameras on owners’ cars were shared among workers for several years. The images were reportedly circulated in group chats and one-on-one communications between 2019 and last year, and included footage of accidents, intimate moments, and even inside Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s garage.
One former employee revealed that the videos shared among workers showed a Tesla driving at high speed before hitting a child on a bike, as well as other personal moments such as people doing laundry and spending time with their children. Another video reportedly showed a rare white Lotus Esprit submersible car that appeared in the James Bond movie “The Spy Who Loved Me,” which was owned by Musk.
This practice of sharing customer footage without consent has raised serious privacy concerns. While Tesla’s website states that the camera system is designed to protect user privacy and that camera recordings remain anonymous unless triggered by a safety event, such as a crash, former employees have claimed that it was possible for Tesla data labelers to see the location of captured footage on Google Maps.
“We could see them doing laundry and really intimate things. We could see their kids,” said one former employee. “It was a breach of privacy, to be honest. And I always joked that I would never buy a Tesla after seeing how they treated some of these people.”
Tesla does not have a communications department that can be reached for comment on this issue. However, this revelation highlights the importance of privacy protection in the era of connected cars and the need for strict safeguards to prevent unauthorized access and sharing of customer data captured by in-car cameras.
