Tesla owners have again been asked not to park inside certain government buildings in China. The issue revolves around Tesla’s cameras and the possibility that they could be used for spying.
Sources familiar with the matter spoke to Reuters, telling the outlet that staff at two government agencies have been instructed by their supervisors not to park their Teslas at work.
This is the second report relating to bans on Teslas at Chinese government installations. In March, it was revealed that the Chinese Army had banned Teslas from entering its housing compounds over concerns about their cameras being used to spy.
Read More: Chinese Army Bans Tesla Cars From Entering Its Facilities On Safety Concerns
A few days later, Elon Musk responded to those fears at the annual China Development Forum. There, he refuted the claims that his company’s cars were being used to spy.
“There’s a very strong incentive for us to be very confidential with any information,” said Musk, per CNN. “If Tesla used cars to spy in China or anywhere, we will get shut down.”
Although many new vehicles have exterior and interior cameras, the military was specifically concerned because Teslas‘ cameras can be used to film continuously and record data. The military reasoned that the footage could potentially be sent back to the U.S. It was also concerned that the contact lists from synced mobile devices could be obtained and sensitive information leaked.
Convincing China’s state agencies that it is not spying will be important since the nation is the world’s biggest car market and Tesla’s second-biggest market. Accounting for about 30 percent of its sales, continued difficulties in China would be bad news for the automaker, though it may please short-sellers.
