The Dutch government claims it can decrypt Tesla's hidden driving data

S. Dent@stevetdentOctober 22nd, 2021In this report: news, equipment, accidents, Tesla, Netherlands Forensic Institute, driving knowledge, encryption, investigationsTesla

Tesla’s intently-guarded driving data has been decrypted for the first time, according to a Dutch government-operate forensic lab. The Netherlands Forensic Institute (NFI) explained it found out a prosperity of information and facts about Tesla’s Autopilot, along with data all-around pace, accelerator pedal positions, steering wheel angle and a lot more. The findings will let the government to “request extra targeted info” to assistance determine the cause of accidents, the investigators explained. 

The researchers currently realized that Tesla vehicles encrypt and retailer accident associated data, but not which knowledge and how significantly. As these kinds of, they reverse-engineered the system and succeeded in “acquiring data from the designs S, Y, X and 3,” which they described in a paper offered at an incident assessment conference.

These details have a wealth of info for forensic investigators and website traffic incident analysts and can support with a legal investigation following a fatal site visitors incident or an incident with harm. 

With understanding of how to decrypt the storage, the NFI carried out exams with a Tesla Model S so it could review the logs with serious-planet data. It uncovered that the car or truck logs ended up “very exact,” with deviations a lot less than 1 km/h (about .6 MPH).

The NSI also analyzed various accidents employing the raw data it acquired. In just one circumstance, a Tesla on Autopilot collided with a automobile forward that all of a sudden braked. Usually, if the Autopilot does not brake in time, the driver is intended to just take in excess of.  

“In this case, the investigation confirmed that the driver did in fact intervene and also in just the predicted reaction time,” mentioned researcher Aart Spek. “The actuality that it turned out to be a collision was for the reason that the adhering to length [chosen by Autopilot] was much too limited in the hectic targeted traffic problem. That helps make it intriguing, mainly because who is accountable for the adhering to length: the car or the driver?” 

It utilised to be achievable to extract Autopilot data from Tesla EVs, but it truly is now encrypted in current versions, the investigators explained. Tesla encrypts data for very good motive, they acknowledged, including safeguarding its own IP from other manufacturers and guarding a driver’s privateness. It also famous that the corporation does provide precise facts to authorities and investigators if asked for.

Nevertheless, the crew mentioned that the excess info they extracted would let for far more specific incident investigations, “in particular into the function of driver help programs.” It additional that it would be perfect to know if other suppliers stored the same amount of detail around extended durations of time. “If we would know far better which info car suppliers all retail store, we can also make far more targeted statements as a result of the courts or the Public Prosecution Service,” reported NFI investigator Frances Hoogendijk. “And in the long run that serves the fascination of finding the fact after an accident.”

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