In recent years, Tesla vehicles have become giant surveillance devices thanks to the cameras and sensors on them. This has also caught the attention of the police, who have started using electric vehicles in criminal investigations.
Police begin temporarily impounding electric vehicles
Police in Oakland, California, have recently been seeking court permission to seize Teslas that may have been parked near crime scenes, in order to analyze the images and data recorded around the vehicles and try to solve the crimes.
In a murder case that took place last month, two people were arrested and charged with murder and sent to prison, thanks to the images recorded by an electric Tesla.
While the data Teslas collect is valuable to law enforcement, it also poses privacy violations. A few years ago, the Chinese government banned these electric cars from being near privacy-sensitive government buildings. The government was concerned that the vehicles could collect critical data and send it to the U.S. Rumors also arose that Tesla employees were watching and sharing users’ private videos.
While Elon Musk’s vehicles are praised as technological marvels, they have also raised serious questions about privacy. In addition, the fact that many criminal cases, from theft to murder, have been solved by Teslas is a completely different topic of discussion…
What do you think about this issue? Do you think it is ethical to seize and examine vehicles for such cases? Do not forget to share your views with us.
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