Tesla reveals how it uses customer data in new privacy section
Tesla
In an age where data breaches and privacy violations are rampant, Tesla is showing a proactive approach to data privacy. The company's privacy protections are designed to go beyond industry standards to ensure that personal data is never sold, tracked, or shared without the owner's permission or knowledge.
Tesla's commitment to customer privacy and data security is evident in its policies and practices. The company allows customers to access and control their data while being transparent about what data it collects and how it's used. Tesla owners can request a copy of their data to understand its use better.
Transparency and Control
The data associated with a Tesla account includes order details, account information, customer support activity, service history from the ownership period, vehicle usage information, safety event camera recordings (if applicable), infotainment system settings information, mobile app usage information, and supercharging history.
The cameras and computer provide advanced features such as Autopilot while prioritizing customer privacy. Tesla does not continuously collect personally identifiable camera recordings; most processing occurs within the vehicle. Even if customers opt-in, camera recordings remain anonymous and are not linked to the owner or their car unless they are received as part of a safety event.
How Tesla Safeguards and Protects Customer Data
Sentry Mode and Dashcam camera recordings are processed and saved in the customer's vehicle or an external device, never on the company's servers. This provides additional protection for customers' data and ensures that it is always kept safe and secure.
Tesla collects data from its vehicles for remote diagnostics, service, or during a critical safety event. However, this data is not linked to the owner or their vehicle, and anonymous data from the company's global fleet is periodically reviewed but is not linked to the owner or their vehicle.
Data Privacy Request: A Way to Stay Informed and in Control
The company gives its customers the option to request a copy of the data associated with their Tesla account, so they can know exactly what information the company has about them. Tesla's goal is to collect and store the minimum amount of data required to provide the services customers use.
To give customers even more control over their data, the company provides the option to review settings or request a copy of their data at any time through a Data Privacy Request. This empowers customers to stay informed about their personal data and manage it according to their preferences.
Considerations for Deleting Your Tesla Account and Data
When a customer requests a copy of their data, Tesla first verifies that they are the account holder making the request. After that, the company organizes the data associated with the account in easy-to-understand file formats. When the data is ready, the customer receives an email notification letting them know that they can download it. Remember that downloading the data will not delete it from the company's servers.
An owner can delete their Tesla account and associated data permanently. However, they must remove all active Tesla products from their account before requesting deletion. Keep in mind that deleting the account means that all personal data associated with the account will be permanently erased, and the customer will no longer be able to access Tesla vehicles and energy products or services, their documents, statements, and receipts, or sign in using their account on the web or from the Tesla app.
Tesla Video About Privacy
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Tesla has issued a strong denial in response to a Wall Street Journal report (Paywall) which claimed that Tesla’s Board of Directors had initiated a search for a new CEO.
In a statement posted directly on Tesla’s X account, Board Chair Robyn Denholm denied the report unequivocally. As per the statement, Tesla’s board did not reach out to recruiting firms in search of a new CEO.
Earlier today, there was a media report erroneously claiming that the Tesla Board had contacted recruitment firms to initiate a CEO search at the company.
This is absolutely false (and this was communicated to the media before the report was published).
The statement reaffirmed the board’s position on Tesla’s current leadership and that the board is highly confident in Elon’s ability to continue executing Tesla’s plans and future growth.
This confidence behind Elon follows his recent statements made during the Q1 2025 Earnings Call that he would be stepping back from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) in the coming days and significantly reducing time spent there. Instead, he would be returning to focus on Tesla’s operations and the upcoming deployment of Robotaxi.
Shortly after the denial was posted, Elon Musk also commented on the report, specifically tagging the Wall Street Journal and criticizing their handling of the report.
It is an EXTREMELY BAD BREACH OF ETHICS that the @WSJ would publish a DELIBERATELY FALSE ARTICLE and fail to include an unequivocal denial beforehand by the Tesla board of directors! https://t.co/9xdypLGg3c
We’re glad to see Tesla and Elon set the matter straight, but there could have been a better way to spread this message and maybe even prevent the report from WSJ from going out.
We recently published an opinion piece on why Tesla needs its PR team back, and this specific incident is a good example. Relying solely on platforms like X for critical corporate communications - and in this case, late at night (1 AM EST), with limited reach outside the existing follower base seems like an ineffective way of communicating important company information.
We’d love to see Tesla really put some thought into managing its image, as it seems that several recent reports from major financial news organizations have apparently been wrong.
Either way, the board’s stance is clear - there is no active search underway, and Elon has the full backing and support of the board to lead Tesla toward the future.
Tesla’s Megapack is rapidly becoming a key component in energy storage and grid modernization efforts worldwide. Though often associated with powering AI infrastructure or industrial operations, Megapack’s true strength lies in its ability to stabilize electrical grids during blackouts and brownouts.
In a recent behind-the-scenes reveal, Tesla showcased the impressive scale of Megapack production at its Mega Lathrop facility, along with real-world examples of how these systems are already transforming energy resilience across the globe.
Mega-Scale Megapack
Tesla is operating the largest utility-scale battery manufacturing facility in North America at Mega Lathrop, which has the capacity to produce 10,000 Megapacks annually. Thanks to a highly automated assembly process that uses over 30 welding robots to assemble the core Megapack structure. This is the largest manufacturing fixture Tesla uses— likely to only be matched by future developments at Mega Shanghai.
Tesla uses a highly automated powder coating process, utilizing over 90 robotic paint atomizers to apply more than 140 pounds of powder coat to each Megapack. This process delivers Tesla’s signature white reflective finish, engineered for long-term durability and corrosion resistance that lasts up to 20 years, even in harsh coastal or high-heat environments.
All of Megapack’s power electronics are designed and built in-house. Each Megapack uses 24 battery modules, electrical busing, and thermal management systems to ensure grid reliability and help to maximize energy density. The architecture pairs each inverter with a battery module to maximize energy availability and overall uptime. Plus, before each Megapack ships its way across the world, Tesla performs rigorous on-site quality control to ensure that the installation process is as seamless as possible.
Watch Tesla’s video of the manufacturing process below:
Megapack’s Real-World Impact: Hawaii
The core purpose of Megapack is to make power grids more stable and resilient while also reducing reliance on dirty peak power plants like coal. They achieve this by balancing energy supply and demand in real-time, smoothing out fluctuations from variable renewable sources like solar and wind, which helps to prevent grid shortages.
Hawaii actually provides the most real and down-to-earth example of Megapack’s impact. In mid-2024, the Kapolei Energy Storage facility in Hawaii came online. Hawaii utilized 258 Megapacks with a combined capacity of 565 MWh, successfully replacing the state’s last coal-fired power plant. This single facility can power approximately 20% of Oahu’s peak electricity needs by itself for approximately 4 hours.
The project is more than just removing coal plants, though. It serves as an example of Megapack’s grid integration and grid forming technology. The Kapolei Energy Storage facility can manage grid fluctuations caused by weather changes impacting renewable energy, improving stability and preventing blackouts. Thanks to their rapid inverter response times of under a millisecond, Megapacks participate in complex grid balancing activities, including fast frequency and voltage support, which helps to maintain grid balance throughout the day. Beyond that, Kapolei also allows Hawaii to black-start the grid in case of a major power outage that takes out a large section of the grid.
This functionality would be especially useful in Spain, where black-starting the grid took over eight hours recently and is still disrupting the day-to-day life of people there.
You can check out Megapack’s real-world impact in this video from Tesla below:
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