Do Tesla vehicle cameras spy on their surroundings? This is what the Berlin authorities fear, who, like China, plan to prohibit entry into police premises for vehicles equipped with the “sentinel” mode, intended for driving assistance.
The Berlin police say they are looking closely at the issue and may change their legislation in this direction. Indeed, when activated in “sentinel” mode, the on-board camera of a Tesla vehicle contributes to the safety of the vehicle… by storing the images. Germany therefore fears for the confidentiality of the data collected. The question seems all the more legitimate since Tesla has always remained silent about the processing of data. in the aftermath.
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Concretely, the Berlin authorities fear that Tesla vehicles, if they enter sensitive sites such as police premises, could film, without the knowledge of the authorities, “ the location of ammunition bunkers, civilian cars with license plates, and the faces of civilian investigators or special forces. »
A decision that could snowball
The German decision will be widely observed, as it could serve as an example to other European countries. For now, the most likely is that the German police will decide to block the use of “sentinel” mode in sensitive areas.
The Chinese, meanwhile, took a more drastic step, banning Tesla cars from these sites and banning regime officials from buying a Tesla vehicle. In addition, from July 1 and for a period of two months, vehicles from Elon Musk’s company will be banned from the Beidaihe district, where China’s top leaders meet every year.
On the side of Tesla, it is hammered that the vehicles do not spy on anyone, neither in China nor in Germany, specifying that the data of Chinese Teslas are also kept on Chinese servers.
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