Tesla Demands Videos of Its Cars Mowing Down Child-Sized Dummies Be Removed
Tesla is trying to stop a company critic from posting videos that claim to show that Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) system can’t stop the electric cars from crashing into children.
You may have seen the videos(Opens in a new window) on TV or social media. They depict company critic and software engineer Dan O’Dowd showing a Tesla car repeatedly mowing down kid-sized mannequins, even though its self-driving Autopilot system has supposedly been switched on.
A description for the video adds the road tests "conclusively demonstrated that Tesla’s Full Self-Driving software does not avoid the child or even slow down when a child-sized mannequin is in plain view.”
On Thursday, O'Dowd revealed(Opens in a new window) Tesla sent him a cease-and-desist letter on Aug. 11, demanding he pull the videos for allegedly spreading false claims about the company’s FSD system.
It’s true the company’s less-advanced Autopilot technology has been involved in numerous(Opens in a new window) car accidents before. However, Tesla says O’Dowd has been pushing defamatory information on the company’s beta FSD system based on rigged road tests.
“Your testing and methodology have already received swift and public rebukes from multiple sources,” Tesla’s deputy counsel writes in the letter. “For example, the commercial you released claims that the tests shown were performed with Tesla’s FSD Beta engaged. But Electrek reported(Opens in a new window) that your own videos clearly show that FSD Beta was not engaged at times.”
The company also insists its self-driving technology has been designed to stop in front of children, and will do so, “when utilized properly.”
“While you and The Dawn Project purport to advocate for safety, the videos portray unsafe
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