Tesla, like any other large company today, has its staunch supporters and die-hard detractors. Both sides tend to use pretty reasonable arguments (although unfortunately they also descend into idiocy after a certain point of fanaticism), and as a rule, calmly listening to what each other has to say usually gets us to where we usually find the closest thing. to the truth what is the middle.

However, there are times when even the most unredeemed fans have to give up the evidence and accept that “them” did something else, and this should definitely be one of those times. And especially in this case, to those who, in addition to defending the company, are users of its vehicles, because the abuse of its functions by a Tesla employee created a privacy issue that, frankly, It’s to make your hair stand on end.

It all started last Friday when Reuters published a special report that echoed statements from several former Tesla employees who said that records taken by vehicles are shared by workers. And no, in case you’re wondering, I’m not referring to images and recordings related to car operation, for diagnostic purposes and the like. No, I’m talking about recordings of all kinds, including private ones, which, according to the testimony of one of those former employees, were distributed through private chats «like a forest fire«.

Recordings include from funny pictures that employees have turned into memes even pictures of nudes and accidents in which Tesla was involved. The company confirms that the recordings it receives are anonymous, but former employees confirm they are geo-located, so they can reveal the identity of the vehicle’s owner.

As a result, as we can read in Ars Technica, a class action lawsuit was filed against Tesla, which includes as a potential applicant (since those who wish can join) any US citizen who has owned or leased a Tesla within the past four years. The basis of the lawsuit is, of course, the information revealed by the Reuters agency.

«Tesla captures footage of people being exposed on their own property, in their own garages and even in their own homes, including at least one instance where Tesla’s cameras caught video of a naked man in his home.“, the lawsuit states. «Tesla has also captured and disseminated videos and images of customers’ pets and even their children, a group long recognized by the company as vulnerable to exploitation and manipulation. In fact, parents’ interest in their children’s privacy is one of the most basic libertarian interests recognized by society.«.

While this first lawsuit is limited to the United States, there is no doubt about it both regulators and consumer associations around the world should act immediately in this same sense. Of course we know that vehicles have cameras and they can record videos that are sent to manufacturers for various and legitimate reasons. However, the fact that employees have free access to these files indicates an absolute and very disturbing lack of diligence in data management on the part of the company.

Employees did wrong, no doubt about that, but legislation like GDPR obligate companies to properly protect and manage digital assets, so if the allegations published by the Reuters agency are confirmed, the situation for Tesla in Europe could become very complicated. And personally, considering the facts (with a nature reserve pending their confirmation), I believe that this should happen, and sooner rather than later.