According to the Guardian, Tesla failed to preserve data from consumers, staff, and business partners, according to a report by Germany’s Handelsblatt newspaper, which highlighted 100 GB of personal material given by a whistleblower. According to the article, the automaker has received thousands of consumer complaints regarding its driver assistance technology.
This follows a Reuters report last month that Tesla staff secretly exchanged extraordinarily intrusive videos and images recorded by clients’ car cameras between 2019 and 2022.
According to the newest Handelsblatt story, the “Tesla Files” data file contained “ample” amounts of customer data, including tables with over 100,000 names of past and current workers, including Elon Musk, Tesla’s CEO, and his social security number, as well as secret information such as private email addresses, and phone numbers.
Data Leak and Privacy Concerns Surrounding Tesla: Potential GDPR Violation and User Complaints
According to the publication, the violation would constitute a violation of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). It is a comprehensive data protection regulation passed by the European Union (EU) to protect individuals’ personal data and privacy rights within the EU. It governs how companies gather, use, store, and process personal data.
The data leak was described as “massive” by the data protection authority in the German state of Brandenburg, which is home to Tesla’s European gigafactory. “I can’t remember such a scale,” said Dagmar Hartge, the Brandenburg data protection officer. If such a violation is discovered, Tesla may face fines of up to 4% of its annual sales, or approximately €3.26 billion ($3.5 billion).
Furthermore, there have been a number of user concerns about Tesla’s driving assistance capabilities. It includes over 4,000 complaints about sudden acceleration or phantom brakes.
According to the German union IG Metall, the disclosures were “disturbing.” IG Metall advised Tesla to inform employees about any data protection violations and to create a climate in which employees may express concerns and grievances freely and without fear.
“These revelations … fit with the picture that we have gained in just under two years,” said Dirk Schulze, IG Metall incoming district manager for Berlin, Brandenburg, and Saxony.
According to Handelsblatt, a “disgruntled former employee” took advantage of his position as a service technician. The lawyer also stated that the company will sue the person suspected of leaking the information.
The Dutch data protection office is investigating leaks
On Friday, the Dutch data protection agency stated that it was aware of potential Tesla data security infractions. “We are aware of the Handelsblatt story and we are looking into it,” said a spokesperson for the AP data watchdog in the Netherlands, where Tesla’s European headquarters is located.
The Dutch data protection agency was notified by the data protection agency in the German state of Brandenburg.
According to Handelsblatt, Tesla apparently informed Dutch authorities of the breach, but an AP spokeswoman said they were unaware of any disclosures the company may have made to the agency. Tesla was unavailable for comment on Friday.
Video clips that have been leaked
Previously, a couple of the clips featured Tesla owners in embarrassing situations. One ex-employee, for example, recalled a video of a man approaching a car while completely naked.
In another video, an ex-employee said that in a 2021 collision video, a Tesla was seen speeding through a quiet neighborhood before colliding with a youngster riding a bike. The toddler and the bike were both flying in opposing directions.
Facebook has been fined
The top EU privacy watchdog issued a record €1.2 billion fine on Facebook parent company Meta on Monday for how it handled user data, and Meta was given five months to halt transmitting user data to the US.