Last week, the Chinese government allegedly suspended and restricted the use of Tesla vehicles in military and state-owned company applications. Military and federal staff are allegedly not allowed to drive Tesla vehicles into certain facilities due to concerns that Teslas were being used for US espionage data-gathering campaigns. China reportedly launched a government security review into the car brand, which sparked initial worry that the models’ smart car features could be abused for spying purposes.
The electric vehicles are equipped with helpful features such as driver assistance, mobile connectivity, infotainment dashboards, cameras, and sensors for driving aid, maps, and other functions designed to make driving more fun, safe, and easy. However, China is concerned that some features may harvest data, such as cameras or connectivity apps. Therefore Tesla could theoretically obtain information on Chinese government facilities through data collected on these features. Elon Musk has responded to the claims, stating that Tesla will “shut down” if the concerns have any truth.
Read More: China takes aim at ‘spying’ Tesla cars, bans military staff use
