Tesla has come under scrutiny after reports surfaced that the German newspaper Handelsblatt had been provided with 100GB of data containing information on around 23,000 reports of potentially dangerous incidents involving the automaker’s self-driving Autopilot system. The leaked files included at least one table consisting of more than 3,000 incidents reported by drivers who expressed concerns about the safety of Tesla’s driver assistance program. The data also contained personal identifiable information (PII) such as Social Security numbers, salaries, private email addresses, and bank details on more than 100,000 former and current employees, including Tesla CEO Elon Musk.
The leaked documents include reports filed with Tesla between 2015 and 2022, in which the automaker allegedly received more than 3,900 complaints of self-acceleration issues and brake function problems, including phantom stops caused by false collision warnings, among others. The majority of these incidents reportedly took place in the United States, though some complaints were filed by Tesla owners in Europe and Asia. The leaked files also contained more than 1,000 reports of crashes involving Tesla vehicles.
The extent of the leak has alarmed data-protection watchdogs in the Netherlands, who have started a probe into the matter. The region’s data protection officer, Dagmar Hartge, referred to the breach as “massive” and said it was “unprecedented” in scale. She went on to say that Dutch authorities would have several weeks to determine whether to continue their investigations following European procedures.
For its part, Tesla has yet to comment publicly on the leak. The automaker has been under scrutiny before over safety concerns regarding its Autopilot program. In March 2019, a Tesla Model 3 was hacked in just two minutes during the Pwn2Own contest held in Canada. The hacking of the vehicle stoked concerns about the security of Tesla’s driver assistance technology.
The leaked data could have far-reaching implications for Tesla, especially if any of the complaints are proven to be legitimate. If that were to happen, it could have a significant impact on the company’s image in the eyes of consumers, whose trust in self-driving technology may be damaged as a result. This could lead to a drop in sales and a hit to the automaker’s bottom line.
Moreover, the inclusion of PII in the leaked files could leave Tesla open to lawsuits and punitive measures from data-protection regulators. The company could be fined heavily for its failure to protect employee data, and its reputation could be severely damaged if the PII is leaked or breached.
In conclusion, the leak of Tesla’s Autopilot data is a serious matter that could have significant implications for the company and the self-driving car industry as a whole. The industry is still in its nascent stage, and concerns about safety and the handling of customer data are among the many hurdles it must overcome to gain public trust. While it remains to be seen how Tesla and the authorities will respond to this leak, it’s clear that the stakes are high, and there’s much at risk.