Comment by MarioMan | Hacker News Reader

Comment by MarioMan | Hacker News Reader

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It's unlikely that the internal camera is used for data collection by Tesla. It's something they've put in the car to monitor passengers for their planned autonomous taxi service. Source: https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1113977924947009536

Here are Tesla's data collection policies, which includes remote image and video clip collection: Telematics log data: To improve our vehicles and services for you, we may collect certain telematics data regarding the performance, usage, operation, and condition of your Tesla vehicle, including: vehicle identification number; speed information; odometer readings; battery use management information; battery charging history; electrical system functions; software version information; infotainment system data; safety-related data and camera images (including information regarding the vehicle’s SRS systems, braking and acceleration, security, e-brake, and accidents); short video clips of accidents; information regarding the use and operation of Autopilot, Summon, and other features; and other data to assist in identifying issues and analyzing the performance of the vehicle. We may collect such information either in person (such as during a service appointment) or via remote access. Source: https://www.tesla.com/about/legal

Wait, what the f? They put an internal camera in it? And their data collection policies explicitly reserve the right to remotely access it - all all other data?

Hell to the nope. And to think people were scared of smart TVs! It sounds like this has literally everything bad that people were scared of with Smart TV ("infotainment system data"), with the added fun feature of filming you and tracking everywhere you go.

I am not reassured by "it's unlikely...". Tesla is not distinguishing itself in the field of restraint.

I share in these concerns. Tesla collects information during crashes but will not ordinarily release any of it directly to the owner of the vehicle[1].

All modern Teslas passively use the cameras outside of the vehicle to monitor your driving to compare and improve their own self-driving algorithms, which is part of the reason the hardware is present whether or not you paid for the upgrade[2].

There's also the problem of forced updates, where some updates (particularly safety updates) must be installed, whether you want them or not[3]. In an extreme case, such as the aftermath of the Tesla battery that caught fire in China, they are believed to have solved the problem by limiting the maximum charge of the battery in software, reducing range significantly for a minority of drivers[4].

In all of these cases, user-control is sorely lacking.

[1]:https://www.consumeraffairs.com/news/tesla-blames-drivers-wh... [2]: https://medium.com/@trenteady/deepminds-ai-learned-to-play-s... [3]: https://www.wired.com/2012/09/tesla-over-the-air/ [4]: https://www.theverge.com/2019/10/4/20898741/tesla-cars-nhtsa...

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