CleanTechnica Readers Vote With Tesla On Moral Right To Share Driver Data (Assignment 5 - Topic 3)

[Arslan Ijaz]

https://cleantechnica.com/2017/04/25/cleantechnica-readers-vote-tesla-slightly-moral-right-share-driver-data/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+IM-cleantechnica+%28CleanTechnica%29

[Arslan Ijaz]

If Tesla has been questioned about a specific scenario where an accident happened because of driver's fault and the person tried to blame it on autopilot, I would also say that Tesla would release the data to save its image. Especially in a case when the driver is lying. This 52% of the voters must have put themselves in Tesla's spot and then decided to vote for yes. I would do the same if the accident happens because of autopilot mode and then Tesla alter the facts and release the data then it is not right. But on the other hand, if somebody made a mistake and then blamed it on Tesla, then this thing should be revealed. It will help in the future by correcting the misconception of the people that they can blame it on autopilot even if it's their own fault. So they will tend to be more alert and will play safe. On the whole other end, this will affect the number of customers for Tesla. People would be reluctant to buy their cars after getting to know that Tesla can control their cars even if the car is not on the autopilot mode. 

[Wojciech Trawinski]

I believe the most important type of information that can be shared about a driver is the driving habits of the person themselves. How quickly they accelerate, decelerate, how fast they take turns, if they use their indicator or not should all be available for release by a company like Tesla. If we share the road with people. shouldn't we have the right to know what type of driver they are? Auto Insurance companies actually do this already to a certain point. Collecting driver information to access rates and premiums is nothing new. Data collection may actually be beneficial in another aspect, safety. By identifying driver habits, Autopilot can act in a way to prevent the driver from entering a potentially dangerous maneuver or from operating the vehicle in an unsafe manner. 

[Martinez, Alfred S.]

This reminds me of a privacy matter with Apple and it strongly supporting the privacy of its consumers. Better yet, think of any major or small corporation that has private information of its consumers. These companies do not share such information as it’s a violation of privacy. Especially on an individual basis! I think this is morally wrong. I believe Tesla should protect itself, however, it should be done in a courtroom – where at this point I would say it’s okay to share the private information. If an individual does not file a lawsuit against Tesla, then Tesla should file a suit against the individual and set an example. The next time an individual goes to the media and blames their incident entirely on the vehicle – without cause, he or she will think twice.

[Dobhal, Shivani]

If you haven't been lying or committed a crime, there's no reason for you to be ashamed of any information that Tesla seems to be accumulating on your driving records, especially when not doing so could tarnish its reputation and jeopardize your safety. Not to forget a potential multi-million dollar lawsuit that the driver could easily slap on the company. When you sign up to be inside a car that's basically being driven by a computer, you are relinquishing most of your rights as a 'self-dependent driver' since you are depending on a computer to get you from point A to B, and not yourself! And if Tesla deems it necessary to have a database of all the 'executive decisions' that your brain makes during your car ride, I absolutely support it! I would even support laws that actually make it mandatory for these autopilot car companies to make their car logs public. This data wouldn't just help protect these companies from lawsuit, it could help improve the technology itself and result in better future products. So yes, I would definitely be one of the 52% voters that voted yes to Tesla having a moral right in sharing driver's data.