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
Don't miss out!
Subscribe to our newsletter to be the first to know about Tesla's upcoming features and new software updates.
Tesla has added two new privacy options in update 2023.38.6
Not a Tesla App
In Tesla software update 2023.38.6 Tesla is quietly adding two new options that gives owners better control over their privacy. In this update, Tesla is adding the ability to disable remote commands and the option to turn off remote debugging.
The move improves privacy and allows Tesla owners to gain greater control over who can access their vehicles and when.
Limit Remote Commands
Last week, we reported that a user was seeing a new option in FSD Beta 11.4.7.3 that allowed him to disable remote commands. This change allowed him to prevent Tesla from executing commands remotely, such as unlocking or starting the vehicle.
The change appears to have been added through a server-side configuration update, although most users with FSD Beta 11.4.7.3 still lack the new option.
Although giving Tesla the ability to execute commands remotely can be beneficial, such as if you're locked out of your vehicle, this new option gives more privacy conscious owners the ability to limit Tesla's access to their vehicle.
This new option is now also a part of Tesla's latest update, version 2023.38.6. However, it's important to note that this new option only limits Tesla's access to execute commands, and not any other third-parties that may have access to the vehicle through their own services.
Disable Remote Debugging
Owners are now noticing that Tesla has added another privacy-focused option in the 2023.38 update. In this update owners now have access to disable or enable remote debugging of their vehicle. Although it's not completely clear what Tesla considers "debugging," it seems that this new option will limit Tesla's ability to connect to the vehicle remotely to run specific commands or look at vehicle logs.
Privacy Comes First
Both of these new privacy options are enabled by default, but they can be changed by navigating to Controls > Service and looking for the new 'Allow Tesla to Remote Start' and 'Allow Remote Debugging' options at the bottom.
While these new options increase Tesla's transparency and privacy, they can limit Tesla's ability to help owners in certain situations. In most cases, the owners will have access to their vehicle and the ability to temporarily enable these options if they need Tesla's help to start their vehicle or help debug any potential issues.
Tesla vehicles are some of the most advanced vehicles on the market in terms of software and connectivity and this is an important step towards achieving a healthy balance between ensuring customer trust and maintaining the necessary access to deliver the exceptional and cutting-edge experience for which the brand is known.
Tesla China is opening select Superchargers in the country for electric vehicles manufactured by SAIC General Motors. This was the company's first such collaboration in China with the local manufacturer.
Tesla opens its Supercharger to SAIC-GM in China
SAIC General Motors announced Friday that it is entering into an agreement with Tesla China. As part of it, electric vehicles produced by SAIC-GM will have access to the largest and highest quality network of charging stations in the world, the Tesla Supercharger network. The goal of the collaboration is to combine charging networks to jointly create efficient and convenient sharing services.
The agreement will come into force this year
Under the terms, starting in late 2023, owners of fully electric Cadillac and Buick models based on GM's Ultium platform in China will have access to Tesla Superchargers and Destination Chargers. They will be able to log into the brand's apps and use the charge map feature to access Superchargers open to select electric vehicles. Using the app, owners of SAIC-GM electric vehicles will also be able to easily pay for charging.
Superchargers are already open to non-Tesla EVs in China
According to a press release from SAIC-GM, Tesla has already opened its charging network in mainland China. There are currently 10 Supercharger sites and more than 200 Destination Chargers open to drivers of select non-Tesla electric vehicles. As the US manufacturer gradually expands the scope of opening its network of charging stations in mainland China, there will be more in the future.
With this powerful alliance, SAIC-GM also became the first domestic company to enter into a charging network collaboration with Tesla China. The agreement comes after Tesla had already opened its Superchargers to electric vehicles from other manufacturers in Europe and in the United States. In addition, almost all companies that manufacture electric vehicles and sell them in the US have already entered into an agreement with Tesla to open up Superchargers for their EVs. Those manufacturers are ready to equip their EVs with North American Charging Standard (NACS) ports.
SAIC-GM expands its charging network
To date, SAIC-GM has built 52 charging stations under its own brand. They offer access to a total of 246 charging stalls. In addition to this and its collaboration with Tesla China, SAIC-GM is currently working with six other major charger operators to provide 500,000 charger stalls to its customers in more than 320 cities nationwide.
TeslaFi is a service that logs your drives and charging sessions so that you can later refer back to them. We highly recommend checking them out if you use your car for business trips and would like to keep track of reimbursements, if you like to see how much you spend on charging or if you just love statistics. View their about us page and see everything they have to offer!
The EV Universe newsletter reports distill more than 100 EV news sources into a 10-minute read every week. We cover both Tesla and the rest of the EV industry. Join over 3,000 EV geeks like us and subscribe to the free weekly newsletter here.
Tesla Android Project enables you to run Android apps in your Tesla. The platform is Open Source and you can deploy it on your own Raspberry Pi 4. Consider supporting the initiative by donating or purchasing the Compute Module 4 Bundle that delivers the best experience. Get $20 off by using the code: NotATeslaApp
The official Tesla app only notifies you if your car is broken into. By installing Sentry Pro on your phone, you will be notified for all Sentry Mode events. Stay connected and avoid potential surprises by receiving notifications. Stop constantly checking the cameras to ensure safety. Check only when necessary, save battery and get peace of mind. Get a 7 day free trial here!
Find out how to become a sponsor and have your site listed here.
Although we share official Tesla release notes, we are not affiliated with Tesla Motors. We are Tesla fans and supporters.