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Tesla’s ‘phantom braking’ means self-driving technology is unsafe, whistleblower says

A former Tesla employee says he believes the technology that powers the company’s self-driving cars is unsafe for use on public roads.

Lukasz Krupski told the BBC: “I don’t think the hardware is ready and neither is the software. This applies to all of us because we are essentially experiments on the open road. Even if you don’t have a Tesla, your kids are still walking on the sidewalk.”

Mr. Krupski said he found evidence in the company’s data that aspects of the safe operation of vehicles with some level of autonomous or assisted driving were not being met.

Tesla employees confirmed to him a phenomenon in which cars brake randomly in response to non-existent obstacles – so-called “phantom braking.” This was also evident from the customer complaint data he collected.

Mr. Krupski said he felt obligated to report his discovery to security and privacy authorities after initially trying to contact his superiors.

The documents showed that dozens of Tesla employees reported that their cars braked on their own and for no apparent reason when Autopilot was activated, sometimes at high speeds. Tesla boss Elon Musk has been praising Autopilot as a safety feature for years.

(FILES) In this Dec. 1, 2020 photo, Elon Musk, owner of SpaceX and CEO of Tesla, poses on the red carpet at the Axel Springer Awards in Berlin.  – Tesla reported another record quarterly profit on January 25, 2023, as the company reaffirmed its long-term production outlook despite concerns about increased competition and macroeconomic headwinds.  (Photo by Britta Pedersen/POOL/AFP) (Photo by BRITTA PEDERSEN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Tesla boss Elon Musk insists the cars are safe (Photo: Britta Pedersen/AFP via Getty)

Krupski said he alerted authorities after his warnings went unheeded domestically. He then handed over internal documents to the Deutsche Wirtschaftszeitung. Handelsblatt.

He said he accessed the data by entering simple searches on the company’s internal website, raising questions about how Tesla protects the privacy of thousands of employees and its own secrets.

The Dutch data protection authority in the Netherlands, where Tesla’s European headquarters is located, said it was investigating whether the hack violated EU data protection law.

Some safety information about Tesla’s Autopilot system has also been shared with U.S. auto safety officials at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The security agency has long been investigating security aspects of Tesla, especially its software. The agency reportedly interviewed Mr. Krupsky several times.

Tesla insists its Autopilot system makes cars safer and recently won a lawsuit in California alleging the software caused a fatal crash. Tesla informed its employees and tightened its data protection rules.

Krupsky, 38, was fired on charges of poor timekeeping and behavior. He’s trying to sue Tesla for damages, but can’t afford to take the case to court yet.

He claims his problems stemmed from an incident at a car dealership in Oslo, where he worked as a technician for Tesla. When a car battery caught fire, he put out the flames with his bare hands. His actions were praised by Elon Musk himself, but Norwegian Tesla executives reportedly turned on him when he pointed out to the billionaire the lack of fire safety measures in the building.

Tesla denies treating him unfairly and claims he misappropriated confidential company information. A Norwegian court has banned Krupski from disseminating information about Tesla. The court also confiscated his laptop, which was reportedly given to Tesla.

Mr Krupski said his life had become “horrifying” because he became a whistleblower against a car company. He told the BBC: “Sometimes I hardly sleep.”

His actions were recognized by others. He received the Plan for Free Speech Award for Whistleblowing.

Accepting the award, he said: “I have a picture of the most terrible situation imaginable. You’re driving a car, and the car skids, does something unexpected, and two small children from kindergarten in reflective vests are walking along the sidewalk, and the car just drives by.

“That told me I needed to do something about it. I couldn’t live with it if it happened and I had the opportunity to tell the authorities.”

Tesla has been contacted for comment.

Source: I News

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