The Chinese government is restricting the use of Tesla vehicles at military bases, some state-owned enterprises and other sensitive facilities, reports The Wall Street Journal. Tesla vehicles have eight cameras outside the vehicle and an internal camera looking at the driver.
“The move follows a safety review by the government of Tesla’s vehicles, which, according to Chinese officials, is of concern because the cars’ cameras can constantly record images,” the people said, as well as obtaining various data, such as when, how and where the cars used, “according to the Journal. “The government is concerned that some data could be sent back to the US”
According to the Journal, some Chinese government agencies have been asked not to drive their Teslas to work. There are also restrictions on driving Teslas into housing for people at agencies and companies doing sensitive national safety work.
Reuters and Bloomberg also reported that the Chinese military has restricted Teslas from military facilities due to concerns about national security.
In a statement to Chinese media, Tesla insisted that it takes privacy rights seriously and complies with Chinese privacy laws.
Both the U.S. and Chinese governments have taken increasingly strict measures to promote information technologies that are made at home and to avoid dependence on each other’s technology stacks. Chinese smartphone makers Huawei and ZTE have faced severe restrictions by the US government in recent years. The Trump administration has made efforts to ban Huawei completely from the US market. In contrast, China welcomed Tesla’s new car factory in Shanghai.