Oliver Haslam·

China Is Looking To Ban Use Of Tesla Vehicles By Military And Government Employees Citing National Security

China’s government is telling people that they can’t drive Tesla cars over privacy concerns, according to a new WSJ report. Those people are members of the military and employees of state-owned companies, the report notes.

The whole issue, it seems, is the way a Tesla car can constantly record video and capture images via its many cameras.

China is worried that the data the cars collect could ultimately be used by the United States – and it’s taking steps to make sure that doesn’t happen.

The move follows a government security review of Tesla’s vehicles, which Chinese officials said raised concerns because the cars’ cameras can constantly record images, the people said, as well as obtain various data such as when, how and where the cars are being used, and the contact list of mobile phones that are synced to the cars. The government is concerned that some data could be sent back to the U.S., the people said.

But it isn’t just highly sensitive people and areas that are being told that Tesla is out. The report goes on to say that even some housing compounds are Tesla-free zones over the same video recording fears.

The Chinese government has informed some of its agencies to ask their employees to stop driving Tesla cars to work, the people said. Some of the people said Tesla cars were also banned from driving into housing compounds for families of personnel working in sensitive industries and state agencies. They were told by their agencies that among the government’s concerns is that Tesla vehicles can be constantly in record mode, using cameras and other sensors to log various details, including short videos.

Tesla’s cars support video recording for various reasons including security and their self-driving capabilities.

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