Tesla cars and SUVs have been banned from Chinese military compounds due to concerns by the army that sensitive data could be collected by the vehicle’s onboard cameras.
The Chinese military has issued an order advising owners of Tesla cars to park away from military property, Bloomberg reported citing anonymous sources.
Tesla vehicles are equipped with several cameras to assist parking and driving, while also providing 360 degrees of visibility around the car at a range of up to 250 metres.
Some models also have interior cameras to capture images “to help Tesla engineers develop safety features and software enhancements,” the company says.
These interior cameras have also been used by the company to assist driverless beta testing, which contributed to the ban, Bloomberg reported.