During a week in which the House of Representatives voted to repeal Obama era Internet privacy protections, Tesla has come under fire from owners who dispute the all-electric carmaker’s right to disclose individual driver data to the media while also failing to share that data with the drivers themselves.
A pattern of Tesla public data dissemination has occurred after accidents in which Tesla vehicles have had automation software engaged. Tesla vehemently stands behind the safety and reliability of its cars, citing how its “Autopilot has been shown to save lives and reduce accident rates.” That comment came as result of a request from The Guardian. In explanation as to why Tesla releases individual driver information to the media, the Tesla spokesperson added, “We believe it is important that the public have a factual understanding of our technology.”
It is important to note that, in a famous case in which a Tesla Model S was the subject of serious scrutiny following a driver’s death after colliding with a truck while the driver-assist feature was engaged, the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration issued a report of no fault on Tesla’s part. Indeed the report stated that “Tesla vehicles crash rate dropped by almost 40 percent after Autosteer installation.”
What’s being contested here then? Several things, actually. Tesla feels it has an explicit corporate need to stand behind its driving-assist Autopilot technology through public disclosures of individual driving data when a crash occurs. Individual Tesla drivers, on the other hand, express a desire to maintain the right to information privacy regarding their driving performance. And, while Tesla has disseminated individual driver information to the media following Tesla crashes involving its Autopilot system, it continues to deny data sharing with individual customers. Moreover, the company does not follow the commonly accepted research practice of gaining permissions from study participants prior to including them in a data set.
And now some Tesla owners are fired up.
The technology available within a Tesla can provide information about the location of a driver’s hands on the steering wheel, if and when a driver’s door opens, and, importantly, the engagement and performance levels of autonomous technology. Tesla insists that it only releases specific driver data to the media when information has been misrepresented to the public.
Tesla crashes always seem to catch media attention. After a fatal early morning Tesla Model S crash in Indianapolis, a distraught dad claimed that his daughter would still be alive if she had been driving any other car but a Tesla. In a Baarn, Netherlands accident in which a Tesla Model S collided at high speed with a tree and killed the driver, Tesla investigated alongside local authorities. Uncertain as to whether Tesla’s Autopilot feature was engaged, the company said at the time it would analyze data collected through vehicle recovery procedures and “ share it with the public” once reports became final. In 2016, the first crash in China involving a Tesla operating in Autopilot mode caused a great deal of consternation. And a driver of a Model X that crashed along a trek to Yellowstone in Montana posted an open letter to Elon Musk and Tesla, asking the company to “take responsibility for the mistakes of Tesla products” and accusing Tesla of using drivers as “lab rats” for testing of its Autopilot system.
It is that dehumanization of Tesla drivers which has suddenly come to the forefront. Yes, as in all vehicular incidents, various factors come into play, especially driver error: physical (tired), emotional (angry), psychological (confused), or intellectual (distracted) factors occur when a person gets behind the wheel. But that’s not what is at issue in the case of drivers’ rights to information privacy when they engage technology applications. Is driving a personal act, a type of agency for which the driver assumes all responsibility? And, if all research institutions are required to acquire ethical consent from participants, why is Tesla absolved of such responsibility? The answers to these questions will continue to evolve as technology advances at amazing speeds.
In the upcoming age of self-driving cars, every touch screen signal is transmitted to the cloud as an immediate extension of a car’s functionality. A year ago, at a Congressional hearing about driverless cars, Massachusetts Senator Ed Markey questioned over and over whether driverless car manufacturers would assume a minimum standard for consumer privacy protection. None of the constituents present answered his question.
And now, with the U.S. Congress clearly opposed to internet privacy protections, will the public — Tesla drivers included — give up the fight? Will it be “the classic politics of resignation,” as Lawrence Lessig, a Harvard law professor, asserts? He says, “Most people… pick fights they know they can convince people they can win.” It’s an era in which the U.S. Presidential transition team members, according to Politico, had to sign non-disclosure agreement to make certain they keep all of their work confidential. Tesla, too, likes to keep internal information quiet, yet California lawmakers sent a letter to Tesla in January, 2017 asking the company to loosen its employee confidentiality agreement.
Major institutions want their information kept inside closed doors. Can drivers claim the right to privacy of what will become ubiquitous self-driving technology information systems of the future?
A Tesla spokesperson says the following in regards to the release of individual driver data:
“In unusual cases in which claims have already been made publicly about our vehicles by customers, authorities or other individuals, we have released information based on the data to either corroborate or disprove these claims. The privacy of our customers is extremely important and something we take very seriously, and in such cases, Tesla discloses only the minimum amount of information necessary… [We] transfer and disclose information, including personal and non-personally identifiable information … to protect the rights, property, safety, or security of the Services, Tesla, third parties, visitors to our Services, or the public, as determined by us in our sole discretion.”
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Discuss: News
Having said that, I don't know that I would want Tesla giving up my driving data. It is a slippery slope. What is next? Giving my auto insurance company the data so my insurance rates can be adjusted. If consumers allow data to be given away, the companies just keep on going. We give an inch, they take a mile.
By the way, the article says "The technology available within a Tesla can provide information about the location of a driver’s hands on the steering wheel..." Is this true? If so, why is it that when I use auto-steer, even though I have both hands on the wheel, I get a warning to keep my hands on the wheel? My car doesn't even seem to know my hands are on the wheel, let alone where on the wheel my hands are placed.
We still see an unfortunate number of drivers (or family members of dead drivers) who clearly expected the system to do things it cannot yet do. Sadly this unjustified overconfidence is involved in collisions. Here the claim of “it's Autopilot's fault” is quite equal to “the dog ate my homework.”
Autopilot is better every upload, but it isn't yet up to the standard that is eventually expected. Every crash should remind owners / drivers that the system is still in development and they still have to drive when an accident is probable.
As for data release … obviously TESLA needs to correct errors in reporting or recollection about accidents. However, I would urge TESLA to let car owner have a full report of the car's version of crash events ASAP after each and every collision. This would reduce the number of erroneous stories fed to the media.
Well said. This matches my concerns exactly.JOFTAAHaving said that, I don't know that I would want Tesla giving up my driving data. It is a slippery slope. What is next? Giving my auto insurance company the data so my insurance rates can be adjusted. If consumers allow data to be given away, the companies just keep on going. We give an inch, they take a mile.
My opinion is that if personal / driver data is used by Tesla to counter some perceived public slight, Tesla should automatically also be required to release the same data to the customer / owner, as well. If they want to keep their data all to themselves to preserve their Intellectual Property, that's fine. But they can't have it both ways.
I question the same thing. I don't think the vehicle or the steering wheel has any "hand detectors" aside from detecting feedback / resistance from turning the wheel. I presume it doesn't really KNOW whether my hands are on the wheel if my touch is so light that it can't detect any resistance. I think it only knows hands are on the wheel when it feels those hands either 1) change the steering wheel's orientation or 2) resist an Autopilot change to the steering wheel's orientation.JOFTAABy the way, the article says "The technology available within a Tesla can provide information about the location of a driver’s hands on the steering wheel..." Is this true? If so, why is it that when I use auto-steer, even though I have both hands on the wheel, I get a warning to keep my hands on the wheel? My car doesn't even seem to know my hands are on the wheel, let alone where on the wheel my hands are placed.
Is that a real question? Anything that complex can be in beta for years without the tech industry batting an eye.JOFTAAHow long can AP be in beta? Eventually, it has got to come out of beta or be called a failure. What is a reasonable time limit before it comes out of beta or is presumed not to be viable?
After all, Google's "Gmail" was in beta for over FIVE YEARS. And that's just a simple email client, unlike Autopilot which would be directly responsible for the safety / lives of hundreds of thousands of people every single day.
