Can Tesla Employees See Your Car Camera Videos? What Reuters Found and the Settings to Check

Your car has cameras. So who saw what they recorded?

In April 2023, Reuters published an investigation based on interviews with nine former Tesla employees. According to the report, between 2019 and 2022, groups of Tesla employees privately shared via an internal messaging system sometimes highly invasive videos and images recorded by customers' car cameras.

One former employee described a video of a man approaching a vehicle completely naked. Images of crashes and road-rage incidents were also shared. Another former employee said: "We could see inside people's garages and their private properties."

Seven former employees told Reuters the software they used at work could show the location of recordings, which potentially could reveal where a Tesla owner lived.

Reuters contacted more than 300 former Tesla employees. Tesla did not respond to detailed questions sent to the company for this report.

Here's what the investigation found, what Tesla says about camera privacy, and the settings you can check today.

#What the Reuters investigation reported

On April 6, 2023, Reuters published a special report by Steve Stecklow, Waylon Cunningham, and Hyunjoo Jin titled "Tesla workers shared sensitive images recorded by customer cars".

The report was based on interviews with nine former employees who worked as data labelers for Tesla's self-driving program. Starting around 2016, Tesla employed data labelers to review car-camera clips and label objects for the self-driving system. The labeling work started in Africa and later expanded to the US. As of February 2023, Tesla employed around 675 data labelers in Buffalo, New York, according to the report.

#What the former employees said

According to the Reuters report:

• Between 2019 and 2022, groups of Tesla employees privately shared videos and images recorded by customers' car cameras through an internal messaging system.

• One former employee described a video of a man approaching a vehicle completely naked. "Also shared were images of crashes and road-rage incidents," the report stated. One former employee mentioned a 2021 crash video of a Tesla hitting a child riding a bike.

• Some postings were between two employees, others were seen by scores of people, according to the report.

• "We could see inside people's garages and their private properties," said another former employee.

• Seven former employees told Reuters the computer program they used at work could show the location of recordings, which potentially could reveal where a Tesla owner lived.

• Some recordings appeared to be made when cars were parked and off, one former employee said. Tesla used to receive such recordings with owner consent and has since stopped, according to the report.

#What Reuters could not verify

Reuters stated clearly what it could not independently confirm:

• Reuters could not obtain the videos described by the former employees.

• Reuters could not determine whether the practice continues or how widespread it was.

• Some former employees saw only legitimate work sharing, meaning not all employees witnessed inappropriate sharing.

Reuters contacted more than 300 former Tesla employees. More than a dozen answered, all anonymously. Tesla did not respond to detailed questions sent to the company for this report.

#What happened after the report

According to Reuters follow-up reporting in April 2023:

• A California Model Y owner filed a proposed class action lawsuit in the Northern District of California on April 7, 2023, the day after the Reuters report was published.

• US Senators Ed Markey and Richard Blumenthal wrote to Elon Musk on April 14, 2023, asking about the allegations.

The current status of the lawsuit has not been independently verified for this article. If you know the outcome, contact information is available on the Tesla court docket or the law firm handling the case.

#What Tesla says about camera data

Tesla has published guidance on its support pages and in vehicle owner's manuals explaining how camera data is collected and shared.

#Tesla Support: consent required, recordings remain anonymous

According to Tesla Support's page "Obtain a Copy of the Data Associated With Your Tesla Account":

"In order for camera recordings to be shared with Tesla, your consent is required and can be controlled through the vehicle's touchscreen at any time (Software > Data Sharing). Even if you choose to opt-in, camera recordings remain anonymous and are not linked to you or your vehicle, unless we receive the recording as a result of a safety event (such as a vehicle collision or airbag deployment)."

The support page includes a table showing what data is shared with Tesla:

Tesla's statement that camera recordings "remain anonymous and are not linked to you or your vehicle" applies unless there is a safety event. The Reuters 2023 report quoted the same line from Tesla's Customer Privacy Notice.

#Tesla Owner's Manual: images don't leave the vehicle by default

According to the Tesla Model Y Owner's Manual, section "Cabin Camera":

"By default, images and video from the camera do not leave the vehicle itself and are not transmitted to anyone, including Tesla, unless you enable data sharing."

The manual states that when data sharing is enabled, short clips are shared after a safety-critical event or for diagnostics. The manual also says:

• Camera recordings are not associated with your vehicle identification number (VIN).
• Tesla does not use facial recognition.
• You can adjust data sharing at any time: Controls, Software, Data Sharing, Allow Cabin Camera Analytics.
• You can see which features use the cabin camera: Controls, Software, Cabin Camera.

The manual emphasizes that you can change your data sharing settings at any time.

#How to check your Tesla Data Sharing settings

If you own a Tesla and want to review or change what camera data is shared, here's how, based on Tesla's owner's manual and support guidance.

#Step-by-step: review and adjust Data Sharing

1. In your Tesla, tap Controls on the touchscreen.
2. Tap Software.
3. Tap Data Sharing.
4. Review every toggle.
5. Turn off Allow Cabin Camera Analytics if you don't want cabin camera data shared.
6. Turn off any other camera or Autopilot analytics sharing toggles you don't want.

Menu names may vary by model and software version. Older or newer Tesla models may use slightly different names for these settings. The core path is Controls, Software, Data Sharing.

#What turning off data sharing does (and doesn't do)

• Turning off data sharing stops Tesla from receiving camera recordings, according to the owner's manual.

• It does not disable safety features that use the cameras. Autopilot, safety monitoring, and other features that rely on cameras continue to work.

• Sentry Mode and Dashcam footage stays on your USB drive. Those recordings are never shared with Tesla according to Tesla's support page, but they are stored locally. Protect your USB drive if you don't want others to access the footage.

#Other steps to consider

1. See what uses the cabin camera. Go to Controls, Software, Cabin Camera to see which features are using the camera.

2. Protect your Sentry Mode and Dashcam USB drive. Since those recordings stay local, anyone with physical access to your USB drive can view them. Remove the drive when you're not using those features, or encrypt the drive if your model supports it.

3. Request a copy of your Tesla data. Tesla's privacy page lets you request a copy of the data associated with your Tesla account. Visit the Tesla account privacy page to submit a request.

#What this means for Tesla owners

The Reuters investigation and Tesla's privacy disclosures present two different pictures.

Tesla's official stance is that camera recordings are only shared with your consent, they remain anonymous, and they are not linked to you or your vehicle unless there is a safety event like a crash.

The Reuters report, based on interviews with nine former employees, said that between 2019 and 2022, groups of Tesla employees privately shared videos and images from customers' car cameras, including highly invasive footage like a naked man, the inside of people's garages, and private properties. Seven former employees said the software could show the location of recordings.

Reuters could not obtain the videos, could not determine if the practice continues, and noted that some former employees saw only legitimate work sharing. Tesla did not respond to Reuters' questions.

#The data labeling context

The former employees interviewed by Reuters worked as data labelers. Their job was to review car-camera clips and label objects (pedestrians, cars, signs, obstacles) to train Tesla's self-driving system. This kind of human review is standard in the machine learning industry.

The allegations are about what happened to that footage after it was collected: that some employees shared it inappropriately through internal messaging, and that the software allowed them to see the location of recordings.

Tesla has not publicly addressed these specific allegations.

#Other connected cars and camera privacy

Tesla is not the only automaker with cameras that collect data. Many new cars come with driver-facing cameras, external cameras for parking and safety, and cameras used for advanced driver-assistance systems.

#Mozilla's 2023 car privacy review

In September 2023, Mozilla Foundation's Privacy Not Included team reviewed 25 car brands and gave all 25 brands its privacy warning label. Key findings:

• 84% (21 of 25) said they can share personal data with service providers, data brokers, and other businesses.
• 76% (19 of 25) said they can sell personal data.
• 92% give drivers little or no control over their data.

Only Renault and Dacia said that all drivers can have their data deleted.

The Mozilla review looked at privacy policies across the automotive industry, not just camera data. But it shows that automotive data collection and sharing is widespread, and most drivers have limited control.

#What you can do with any connected car

If you drive any car with cameras or connected features:

1. Read your car's privacy policy. Look for it in the owner's manual, in the car's settings, or on the automaker's website. Search for "data collection," "camera," "privacy," and "opt-out."

2. Review your car's app settings. Many automakers have companion apps. Check the app's privacy settings and data sharing options.

3. Turn off features you don't use. If you don't use remote start, stolen vehicle tracking, or other connected features, disable them in the car's settings or the app.

4. Protect local recordings. If your car records to a USB drive or SD card (like Tesla's Sentry Mode), remove the drive when you're not using it, or keep it secure.

5. Request your data. Many automakers let you request a copy of your data. Check the automaker's privacy page or contact customer support.

#Why this matters

The Reuters investigation is one of the few cases where former employees have spoken publicly about what happens to car camera footage behind the scenes.

Most privacy policies describe data collection in broad terms: "We may collect camera data to improve our products." The Reuters report made it specific: videos of a naked man, the inside of people's garages, and private properties, shared through internal messaging, with software that could show where the recordings were made.

Tesla says camera recordings are anonymous and require your consent. The former employees said they could see inside people's homes and their locations. Both statements can be true at the same time if the anonymization or access controls were not as strong as the policy suggested, or if the policy changed between when the recordings were made and when Tesla updated its disclosures.

The case also shows the limits of consent. Even if you agreed to share camera data "to improve safety and develop features," that may not feel like informed consent if you later learn that employees shared a video of someone naked or the inside of your garage.

#What you can do today

If you own a Tesla:

1. Go to Controls, Software, Data Sharing in your car.
2. Review every toggle.
3. Turn off Allow Cabin Camera Analytics and any other camera or Autopilot analytics sharing you don't want.
4. Remember: Sentry Mode and Dashcam footage stays on your USB drive, so protect that drive.
5. Request a copy of your Tesla data at Tesla's privacy page to see what Tesla has on file.

If you drive any car with cameras:

• Read the privacy policy.
• Review the app settings.
• Turn off connected features you don't use.
• Protect local recordings.

The Reuters investigation happened between 2019 and 2022. It's now 2026. Tesla has updated its privacy disclosures and data sharing controls since then. But the case is a reminder: the cameras in your car see what you see. The question is, who else sees it too?

UndoLeak erases your data from data brokers and keeps it off. Car cameras are one place your data can leak. We handle the rest: people-search sites, Google results, leaked information, and ongoing monitoring so brokers can't rebuild your profile. Run a free scan to see where your information is listed right now.

#Sources

1. Reuters, Steve Stecklow, Waylon Cunningham, Hyunjoo Jin, "Tesla workers shared sensitive images recorded by customer cars" (April 6, 2023)

2. ABC News Australia (syndicated full text of Reuters report), "Tesla workers shared sensitive images recorded by customer cars" (April 8, 2023)

3. Reuters, "Tesla hit with class action lawsuit over alleged privacy intrusion" (April 8, 2023)

4. Reuters, "Two U.S. senators write to Tesla CEO Elon Musk after Reuters probe" (April 14, 2023)

5. Tesla Support, "Obtain a Copy of the Data Associated With Your Tesla Account" (2025)

6. Tesla Model Y Owner's Manual, "Cabin Camera" (2025)

7. Mozilla Foundation, "It's Official: Cars Are the Worst Product Category We Have Ever Reviewed for Privacy" (September 6, 2023)

Not affiliated with Tesla, Reuters, or any company mentioned.