In today's world of conspiracy theories (apparent now more than ever), it's understandable that the idea of a car company fitting a camera in its cars pointing at the occupants could potentially cause some concern.
And that concern grows when the camera doesn't have any actual feature attached.
Until @Tesla or @elonmusk tells me what this camera is doing for me I'm shutting them out. It SHOULD be used with Sentry Mode, but it's not at this time. When it has a purpose that serves me I'll slide it back open. Here's what I used of you want to join: https://t.co/MasBhAAH5n pic.twitter.com/eZIEYmBKGx
— LivingTesla ⚡ SnapPlate Creators (@LivingTesla) April 4, 2019
This was a phenomena that Tesla buyers worldwide faced when the much lauded Model 3 first landed, via a tiny subtle camera mounted above the rear-view mirror. The same camera also features in the upcoming Model Y SUV.
Discovery of the camera prompted all manner of speculation online as to what it actually did. Fearing a breach of privacy, some owners had even resorted to covering up the camera so that it couldn't record covertly (if indeed it was recording at all).
Read more: Tesla's Sentry Mode catches another vandal red-handed
Tesla has responded several times with an explanation as to what the camera's purpose is over the years, and CEO Elon Musk further reiterated the point on Twitter earlier this week; it's for future proofing.
The camera is designed to be the perfect co-pilot for if Tesla's plans to convert its cars into mobile ride-share robo-taxis comes to fruition. As previously reported, under this plan Tesla with cars optioned with autonomous driving will in future be able to loan out those cars to passengers when they're not using them.
Passengers will then use the cars to autonomously get from A to B, allowing car owners to earn money with their car while it's not in use. It's an incentive that could be an Uber killer, but naturally it comes with some drawbacks.
It’s not turned on. Meant for vandalism monitoring in a robotaxi future. Also, the car has transparent windows, so spying has limited value.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 12, 2020
Chief among which is the security of your car, which is supposedly where this discreet wide-angle camera comes in. It will keep an eye on any occupants that decide to vandalise or make a mess in your ride while it's in taxi service. It's also said to be hooked into the car's 'sentry mode'; which already is known worldwide for foiling various hapless vandals.
In his most recent tweet Musk curiously noted that the camera is "not turned on" in vehicles currently, implying that covering the camera was a pointless exercise. The tech mogul also pointed fun at allegations of spying, noting that cars have "transparent windows, so spying has limited value". How fun.
The answer spurred on more inquiries from owners about when the robo-taxi functionality will be ready to hit the market, with Musk saying that it's "looking good" to be completed this year, before adding that regulatory approval is likely to be the greater barrier.