Elon Musk denies Tesla cars are being used for spying in China
- If company ‘used cars to carry out espionage activities in China or anywhere, we will get shut down’, he says
- Comments come after Tesla cars are banned from military complex over security concerns
The entrepreneur was speaking at the China Development Forum, hours after a screenshot of an order issued at a military accommodation complex banning Tesla vehicles went viral on Chinese social media.
The notice said that due to the cameras and ultrasonic sensors fitted inside Tesla cars that could expose the location of targets, the vehicles would be banned from entering military facilities to prevent a security threat.
“If Tesla used cars to carry out espionage activities in China or anywhere, we will get shut down … There’s a strong incentive for us to be confidential,” Musk said at the virtual meeting.
A person familiar with the matter said the ban was issued a couple of weeks ago because Chinese leaders were “very concerned”, adding that Musk might visit China next month.
The carmaker did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment on Saturday.