Tesla Motors is one of the most innovative and controversial companies in the world. Founded in 2003 by a group of engineers who wanted to prove that electric cars could be better than gasoline-powered or petrol/diesel-powered ones, Tesla has grown from a niche player to a global leader in the automotive industry. But is Tesla really a car company, or is it a data company?
Tesla is best known for its electric vehicles, such as the Model S sedan, the Model X SUV, the Model 3 compact car, and the upcoming Model Y crossover. These vehicles are not only sleek and powerful but also smart and connected. They have advanced features like Autopilot, which can steer, accelerate, and brake the car on highways and city streets; Full Self-Driving Capability, which aims to enable the car to drive itself in any situation; and Sentry Mode, which can record and alert the owner of any suspicious activity around the car.
But these features are not possible without data. Tesla collects vast amounts of data from its vehicles, such as GPS coordinates, speed, acceleration, braking, steering angle, camera images, video clips, and more. Tesla uses this data to improve its software, train its neural networks, and enhance its customer experience. Tesla also shares some of this data with third parties, such as insurance companies, researchers, and regulators.
Questions raised by critics
Tesla claims that it anonymizes and protects the data it collects and that it only uses it for legitimate purposes. However, some critics have raised concerns about Tesla’s data practices, such as its privacy policy, its data ownership, its data security, and its data ethics. For example:
- Who actually owns Tesla’s data? Is it Tesla, the car owner, or the driver? Can Tesla use the data for any purpose without consent? Can Tesla sell or share the data with anyone?
- How does Tesla protect the data from unauthorized access or misuse? Is the data encrypted and stored securely? Is the data vulnerable to hacking or theft? What happens if there is a data breach?
- How does Tesla ensure that the data is accurate and reliable? Is the data quality checked and verified? Is the data biased or manipulated? How does Tesla handle errors or anomalies in the data?
- How does Tesla respect the rights and interests of the data subjects? Does Tesla inform the car owners and drivers of what data it collects and how it uses it? Does Tesla give them any control or choice over their data? Does Tesla comply with relevant laws and regulations regarding data protection?
These are some of the questions that Tesla needs to answer as it continues to innovate and disrupt the automotive industry. So what I say is Tesla may be a car company at its core, but it is also a data company at its edge. And as a data company, Tesla has a responsibility to use its data wisely and ethically.
