The Chinese government is restricting the use of Tesla vehicles on military bases, some state-owned companies and other confidential facilities, reports The Wall Street Journal. Tesla vehicles have eight external cameras and an internal driver-facing camera.
“The move follows a government safety review of Tesla vehicles, which Chinese officials said has raised concerns because car cameras can constantly record images, people said, as well as obtaining various data such as when, how and where cars are being used, “according to the Journal. “The government is concerned that some data may be sent back to the United States”
Some Chinese government agencies have been asked not to take their Teslas to work, according to the Journal. There are also restrictions on driving Teslas to housing complexes for employees of agencies and companies that perform delicate national security jobs.
Reuters and Bloomberg also reported that the Chinese military has restricted Teslas’ access to military facilities due to national security issues.
In a statement to the Chinese media, Tesla insisted that it takes privacy rights seriously and complies with Chinese privacy laws.
The governments of the United States and China have taken increasingly stringent measures to promote information technologies developed at home and to avoid dependencies on each other’s technology stacks. Chinese smartphone makers Huawei and ZTE have faced tough restrictions from the United States government in recent years. The Trump administration has made efforts to ban Huawei from the American market. In contrast, China welcomed Tesla’s new car plant in Shanghai.