Tesla's In-Car Cameras Raise Privacy Concerns: Report

Tesla CEO Elon Musk said last week his company would be shut down if its cars were used to spy.

By Reuters | Updated: 24 March 2021 10:09 IST

Tesla's In-Car Cameras Raise Privacy Concerns: Report

Tesla's internal cameras are point of contention in China, where military banned Tesla cars from entering

Highlights

Consumer Reports said usage potentially undermines the safety benefits
Ford Motor use infrared technology to identify drivers' eye movements
In-car cameras are to alert drivers when they are not paying attention

Tesla's use of in-car cameras to record and transmit video footage of passengers to develop self-driving technology raises privacy concerns, influential US magazine Consumer Reports said on Tuesday.

Consumer Reports said the usage potentially undermines the safety benefits of driver monitoring, which is to alert drivers when they are not paying attention to the road.

"If Tesla has the ability to determine if the driver isn't paying attention, it needs to warn the driver in the moment, like other automakers already do," said Jake Fisher, senior director of Consumer Reports' auto test centre.

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Automakers such as Ford Motor and General Motors, whose monitoring systems do not record or transmit data or video, use infrared technology to identify drivers' eye movements or head position to warn them if they are exhibiting signs of impairment or distraction, the magazine said.

Tesla did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

The Palo Alto, California-based carmaker's internal cameras are also a point of contention in China, where the military banned Tesla cars from entering its complexes, citing security concerns.

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Tesla Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk said last week his company would be shut down if its cars were used to spy.

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