The Internet recently revealed a video taken by a surveillance camera built into Tesla’s electric vehicles, raising privacy concerns again in China. In response, Tesla China issued a statement today saying that the Tesla cabin camera is not currently active in markets outside of North America.
Tesla is a hot seller in China, but its electric cars have multiple lenses and sensors built into them, and have been banned from military facilities by the Chinese Communist military.
The Twitter account @greentheonly posted a video of a surveillance camera inside a Tesla on May 5, which has sparked renewed concern in mainland China, with netizens questioning the threat of privacy violations.
The official microblogging service of Chinese official media Xinhua issued a commentary on the 6th, emphasizing that the installation of camera lenses in cars may objectively bring a lot of convenience in terms of ensuring the safety of drivers and vehicles, but whatever the degree of convenience, it must not be at the cost of arbitrarily giving up personal privacy and information.
In response, Tesla’s official Chinese microblog, “Tesla Customer Support,” responded in a post this morning, saying that Tesla’s in-cab camera lens is not currently available in markets outside of North America. Even in the United States, owners are free to choose whether or not to turn it on. Tesla is equipped with the world’s leading security level cyber security system to ensure user privacy protection.
This is not the first time that Tesla’s electric cars with built-in camera lenses have raised doubts in China.
According to a previous release, Tesla is conducting a test program for the FSDBeta version of Full Autopilot, and Tesla CEO Elon Musk confirmed last month that owners participating in the test were monitored by Tesla through the camera lens inside the car, and found that some owners were not focused enough on road conditions.
For the existence of Tesla “surveillance door” has aroused doubts, Tesla China clarified on March 19, Tesla’s vehicles do not exist through the car camera to violate the owner’s privacy, all Tesla vehicles in the Chinese market are not turned on the car camera lens.
However, according to a previous online poll conducted by the Chinese media Sina Technology on Weibo, 70% of the respondents did not believe Tesla’s statement. Many Chinese Tesla owners posted that they taped the camera lens directly to the car for peace of mind and no cost.
According to Beijing Daily, Tesla is not alone in having a camera lens in its cars. Azera and Xiaopeng, which also focus on electrification and smart connectivity, as well as some Chinese fuel car makers, also have cameras inside their vehicles.
The newspaper describes these in-car “electronic eyes” as two sides of the same coin, trying to create a safer smart driving experience on the one hand, but also raising public concerns about privacy and security on the other.
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