People who entrust their written-off vehicles to insurance companies often assume that they are bidding a final farewell to their cars. However, the situation is no longer that straightforward in today’s modern age. A former Tesla owner was shocked to learn that his previously totaled Model X had somehow made its way to Ukraine, complete with his active app login credentials still accessible.
The individual who previously owned the electric vehicle in question is named Jay Yarow, holding the position of executive editor at CNBC, which provided the platform for the complete account. Yarow’s Tesla Model X was engaged in an accident towards the close of 2022, leading to it being declared a write-off.
After several months had elapsed, Yarow received an unexpected notification indicating that his former vehicle had reappeared online. To his astonishment, he uncovered that the Tesla was still connected using his login credentials, granting him the ability to pinpoint its location in Southern Ukraine. Adding a surreal twist to the situation, the new owner was found to be enjoying music by Drake via Yarow’s Spotify account.
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Here’s an unusual situation. I had a Tesla, crashed it, it was totaled. And now it’s … in Ukraine? And someone there is listening to Drake on my, still logged in, Spotify account. pic.twitter.com/ymW2psyvz6
— Jay Yarow (@jyarow) August 10, 2023
Predictably, Yarow’s post on X (formerly known as Twitter) generated a lot of interest, receiving more than 17.6 million views at the time of writing.
CNBC delved into the matter and discovered that the Model X had been auctioned on Copart before being transported across the Atlantic. As reported by The Autopian, this occurrence is not an isolated event. Another previous Tesla owner experienced a similar situation, receiving a firmware update notification from his written-off Model S, which had surprisingly turned up in the conflict-affected region of Ukraine.
The practice of repairing and reselling wrecked Teslas in other countries isn’t particularly uncommon, and it’s a trend often seen with high-value models that are declared totaled in the US. However, the real concern lies in the substantial amount of data and personal information that remains stored within a vehicle even after an accident.
This issue is not unique to Tesla vehicles but rather a characteristic of modern cars that store data in their infotainment systems to enable online services and other features. It’s worth highlighting that a similar situation can be observed with malfunctioning smartphones and laptops, which retain the original user’s login credentials, files, and browsing history if they aren’t properly wiped before being passed on to another individual.
Can Data Privacy Concerns Be Mitigated?
Interestingly, this data persists even if the user takes the step of logging off from their accounts. So, what options do we have to address this issue? One approach that comes to mind is the implementation of a simplified method for remotely conducting a kind of “factory reset.” This would enable former owners to completely disassociate from their vehicles or devices, ensuring the security of their private data.
An alternative preventative measure could involve the establishment of new regulations mandating insurance companies, auction platforms, and scrapyards to erase old data from a vehicle’s systems. However, this proposition might prove challenging, especially in the case of wrecked cars with inoperative batteries and damaged screens, where the process could demand a significant amount of time and effort.
