Dutch Data Protection Watchdog Looking Into Tesla Data Breach

The data protection watchdog for the Netherlands said it was aware of possible Tesla (TSLA.O) data protection breaches on Friday, but it was too early for further comment. The agency declined to say whether it might or has launched an investigation, citing policy. It was informed by its counterpart in the German state of Brandenburg, where Tesla has its European Gigafactory. Germany’s Handelsblatt reported on Thursday that Elon Musk’s Tesla had allegedly failed to adequately protect data from customers, employees, and business partners. The report cited 100 gigabytes of confidential data leaked by a whistleblower.

Handelsblatt said customer data could be found “in abundance” in the allegedly leaked files named the Tesla Files. The documents reportedly include tables listing 100,000 names of former and current Tesla employees, including the social security number of CEO Musk. The data set also includes private email addresses, phone numbers, employee salaries, customers’ bank details, and secret information from production. Handelsblatt said that such a leak would violate the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation.

Tesla allegedly shared the files on an internal messaging system called Mattermost. According to Reuters, one of the people who received a copy of the files claimed to be an employee of the company. The whistleblower said they had been hired to help Tesla’s customers with technical issues. However, several people who have received the files told Reuters they were shocked by what they had read.

Some of the leaked information is related to car defects or complaints. For example, the German union IG Metall said it was “disturbing” that there were 4,000 customer complaints about Tesla driver assistance programs such as sudden acceleration and phantom braking. It called on Tesla to inform staff about all data protection breaches and to promote a culture where employees can raise problems or grievances without fear.

A Dutch Data Protection Authority spokesperson said it was too early to say if the agency might launch an investigation into the issue. However, the spokesperson said the agency had received a preliminary report from its counterpart in the German state of Brandenburg. It would take time to determine whether an investigation is warranted.

The spokesperson said it is too early to say if the Dutch agency might or has launched an investigation, citing its policy. The spokesperson also declined to say if the agency had been notified by Tesla of the matter, adding that it was unsure if Tesla had made representations to it.

Handelsblatt quoted a lawyer for Tesla as saying the company suspected the whistleblower was a disgruntled former employee who abused access to Mattermost as a service technician. Handelsblatt said that the company was planning to take legal action against the employee. The newspaper verified its source and authenticity with the Fraunhofer Institute for Secure Information Technology. Tesla tried to stop the newspaper from using the data, and it threatened to sue the paper over the story.