Tesla is trying to stop certain self-driving crash data becoming public

Tesla is asking a judge to block the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) from disclosing data related to crashes involving vehicles with self-driving features, citing confidentiality concerns. The Washington Post filed a lawsuit against the NHTSA to obtain more details about crashes involving driver-assistance systems like Autopilot and Full Self-Driving. Tesla argues that releasing the data would give competitors an advantage in analyzing the effectiveness of its self-driving technology. The company claims that information about driver behavior, road conditions, and specific versions of driver-assistance tech should be kept private. However, the Post's lawyers argue that this information is not confidential, as drivers can access it through their vehicle dashboards. Tesla counters that even if drivers have access to this information, they share it with the company with the expectation that it will be kept private. The company has been accused of taking advantage of NHTSA loopholes to redact most data related to crashes involving its vehicles. Tesla claims that its "self-driving" tech does not make its cars autonomous and that drivers are required to actively supervise its use. Meanwhile, Tesla is expected to start deploying its first Robotaxi service in Austin, Texas, this month. The company's CEO, Elon Musk, was previously involved in an initiative that cut about 10 percent of the NHTSA's staff, including half of a team that oversees autonomous vehicle safety.