Tesla electric vehicles banned by China's military over camera concerns

China may be the world's biggest market for electric vehicles and as such, one of the biggest markets for Tesla. But Tesla cars have may have raised a lot of concern in the military circuits within China and have now been banned from military complexes and housing compounds here.

According to a Bloomberg report, the primary cause of concern pertains to potentially sensitive data being collected by cameras that are integrated into Tesla electric vehicles. There is suspicion that since Tesla may be collecting the data from the in-car cams and that this isn't under the control of the Chinese government, it could prove to be risky to have such vehicles inside sensitive zone from a military perspective.

As such, residents in such military housing complexes have been issued directives which ask them to park their Tesla EVs outside military properties in order to ensure that confedential military information is kept safe.

Tesla cars are fitted with a number of cameras which help owners make use of functionalities like guided parking, autopilot and self-driving capabilities. Sentry Mode is also one feature found on many Tesla EVs sold worldwide which allows an owner to keep a check on what's happening in the close vicinity of his or her vehicle when he or she is not around it.

Tesla Model 3, in particular, is a popular choice among many buyers in the country. It is the most affordable EV from Tesla and since its local manufacturing began in Shanghai, sales have been even stronger. But there have been concerns within the Chinese military about internal cameras which are being used to monitor what Tesla terms as full self driving beta testers. This despite the fact that Tesla representatives have stated previously that the in-car cams on Tesla vehicles sold in the country aren't operational or even part of the tests.