Tesla faced questions about data protection after reports suggested that a large amount of information remained insufficiently safeguarded, potentially affecting as many as 100,000 employees, customers, and partners. The disclosure came from a German business daily known for investigative reporting.
In a sequence of investigations, the newspaper claims access to 100 gigabytes of sensitive company data. The material allegedly includes employee names, email addresses, phone numbers, salaries, banking details, customer information, and sensitive production secrets. Among the documents reportedly leaked by an informant are records tied to the company’s leadership, including details connected to the CEO.
Under the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation, such a breach could trigger substantial penalties, with fines potentially reaching up to several billions of euros depending on findings. The Brandenburg data protection authority, which oversees Tesla’s European operations, has opened an inquiry they describe as extremely serious. An official quoted in the coverage remarked that they had not seen a case of this scale before.
thousands of complaints
Among the leaked materials are multiple customer complaints about Tesla’s vehicle software programs, including issues related to driver assistance and reports of sudden acceleration and phantom braking.
Tesla responded to the publication by suggesting that a disgruntled former employee may be behind the exposure, claiming that access granted to a service technician was used to obtain information. The company said it may pursue legal action. Regulators noted that internal access to data could have facilitated the breach.
The largest and most influential labor union in Germany has described the disclosures as disturbing, while the Dutch Data Protection Authority, where Tesla’s European headquarters is located, indicated that the company is examining a potential data breach.