Amid worldwide protests against Tesla due to CEO Elon Musk’s involvement in the company, hackers have released a website with address and contact information of thousands of Tesla owners. And the same hackers say that the only way to get off the list is to prove that you’ve sold your car.

Protests against Tesla started in February, with groups picketing outside stores across North America and elsewhere.

The protesters have been pretty clear in their reasoning why – they’re not fans of Elon Musk and his recent actions.

In case you’ve been under a rock, Musk has been meddling in politics recently, after being radicalized by his twitter feed which he is hopelessly addicted to. It started with a nine-figure bribe to a convicted felon’s presidential campaign, which many thought would produce results in the form of corruption after said felon wandered back into the Oval Office (despite that there exists a clear legal remedy for insurrectionists), and appointed Musk to a fake and redundant government department which has so far expectedly failed to produce any meaningful results.

Advertisement – scroll for more content

This meddling is predictably not working out great so far for Tesla, the business which produced the vast majority of Musk’s wealth and which he is still, somehow, the titular leader of.

It turns out, people don’t particularly like it when you’re part of an administration that dedicates itself to poisoning Americans, raising their costs, and harming US industry, among all the other ill-considered actions going on at the federal level. The administration Musk is a part of is actively trying to make EVs more expensive and harder to charge, both of which will harm Tesla – and your air quality.

Even Elon Musk himself acknowledges that these actions are “not good for America or the world” – or at least he did, back before he forgot how climate change works.

The unambiguous Nazi salutes didn’t help either – which were not out of character for Musk, given his history of white supremacist statements and his current support for German neo-Nazis. He has since gone on to agree with a defense of Hitler’s actions in the Holocaust.

All of this has resulted in a huge drop in Tesla popularity, and along with that has come a drop in sales and the aforementioned protests, many of which are being exercised by Tesla owners and EV fans who are dismayed that the electric car company’s leadership has taken such an anti-EV turn.

There are passive protests like Tesla owners debadging their cars, and then the active ones like those who are exercising their First Amendment right to picket outside of Tesla stores.

Musk and the government he’s a part of have responded to these protests in their expected manner: by spreading misinformation with the intent of silencing the protesters’ free speech – a fundamental right which Musk has long shown disdain for.

And then, beyond that, there are… let’s say less accepted forms of protest happening in the US and elsewhere.

Today, we’re seeing a whole new type of protest – in the form of a hacker group which got access to Tesla account data and posted it all online, exposing thousands of Tesla owners’ information on the web.

Tesla owners’ information posted on protest site

The website includes a map and a snarky message stating the site’s intent – claiming that it’s a social media site for Tesla owners, rather than a protest site. But it also says that it encourages “creative expressions of protest that you can execute from the comfort of your own home.” Though, the site also uses a molotov cocktail as a cursor replacement.

Here is the text on the site (the name of the site has been redacted here, because while the information doesn’t seem particularly harmful on its own, given that most of it is public, I’d still rather not be responsible for leading people towards it):

XXXXX is the ultimate hub for enthusiasts of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)! Our innovative platform allows users to explore an interactive map of DOGE landmarks.

But that’s not all! We also cater to Tesla Motors owners, providing a comprehensive resource to locate nearby service centers, showrooms, and charging stations—all at their fingertips.

Leveraging our cutting-edge artificial intelligence algorithms, XXXXX goes a step further by connecting like-minded Tesla owners with one another, facilitating a vibrant community through shared contact information.

Join us as we revolutionize the way DOGE fans and Tesla owners connect and explore!

Is XXXXX a protest platform?

If you’re on the hunt for a Tesla to unleash your artistic flair with a spray can, just step outside—no map needed! At XXXXX, we believe in empowering creative expressions of protest that you can execute from the comfort of your own home.

XXXXX neither endorses nor condemns any actions.

Before you embark on any adventure, we highly recommend checking out the No Trace Project.

I want my information removed.

Absolutely! Just provide us with proof that you’ve sold your Tesla.

Email XXXXX. We only accept scanned documents in JPG and PNG formats.

The way that the information was leaked is not immediately apparent, nor does the group make any claims as to how it got the information. It may or may not have even come from Tesla itself, since it includes somewhat random pieces of information for each owner.

The information is categorized under different icons, with designations for Tesla stores, Superchargers, Tesla owners’ cars, and then additional people of interest – which seem to largely be known residence of staffers working at Elon Musk’s bungling government department.

A quick check of the information suggests that it is not complete – there are many Tesla owners who are not listed on the site. And most of the information seems to just be addresses, phone numbers, business names and the like – much of which is already public information. Though there are also some email addresses and social media handles associated with certain entries, which may not be public information.

Also, Tesla locations are listed – such as Superchargers and Tesla stores. These are wholly public information and can be found on Tesla’s website.

Further, some outlets have confirmed that some of the information is inaccurate.

But, if any given Tesla owner is on the list, the site offers a remedy: merely email them with a scanned document proving you sold your car, and you will be removed. We haven’t tried this out to see if it will work or not, but if any owners do, feel free to reach out to us.

Charge your electric vehicle at home using rooftop solar panels. Find a reliable and competitively priced solar installer near you on EnergySage, for free. They have pre-vetted installers competing for your business, ensuring high-quality solutions and 20-30% savings. It’s free, with no sales calls until you choose an installer. Compare personalized solar quotes online and receive guidance from unbiased Energy Advisers. Get started here. – ad*

Tesla (TSLA) has officially obtained a permit in California to operate an internal fleet for a ride-hailing service, but it’s not for robotaxi yet.

In fact, the automaker hasn’t even applied for an autonomous driving permit yet.

A few weeks ago, it was reported that Tesla had applied for a ride-hailing permit in California.

Even though many linked it to Tesla’s Robotaxi effort, it was specifically for the right to operate an internal fleet of vehicles with drivers to offer a ride-hailing service.

Advertisement – scroll for more content

Tesla had already disclosed that it was offering such a service to its employees in the Bay Area.

Now, the CPUC has confirmed that it has approved Tesla’s application (via Reuters):

The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) said it approved Tesla’s application for a transportation charter-party carrier permit (TCP), a license typically associated with chauffeur-operated services, allowing the company to own and control a fleet of vehicles and transport employees on pre-arranged trips.

After Tesla’s stock crashed 5% today, the automaker’s stock went up 1.3% in aftermarket trading on the news.

The speculation is that this is in anticipation of Tesla launching its “robotaxi service”, but a CPUC spokesperson confirmed that the permit doesn’t allow Tesla to do that and that the automaker has yet to apply for a permit that would enable such a service.

Last year, Tesla CEO Elon Musk claimed that Tesla would launch “unsupervised self-driving in Texas and California in Q2 2025.” That’s within the next 4 months.

However, we suspected that this would not be “unsupervised self-driving’ in customer vehicles like Tesla has been promising since 2016, but an internal fleet with teleoperation support in a geo-fenced area for ride-hailing services, much like Waymo has been doing for years.

Sure enough, Musk confirmed last month that this was the plan for Austin in June. We describe this as a “moving of the goal post” for Tesla.

With the focus on Austin in June, Tesla stopped talking about California, which was announced to happen at the same time as Texas last year.

Currently, the prediction market Polymarket puts the odds of Tesla launching robotaxis in California in 2025 at 29%:

Electrek’s Take

As I previously stated, I believe Tesla will use this permit to expand its existing ride-hailing test program in California to non-employees.

It will use that to iron out the ride-hailing system while it continues to work on its self-driving system, which is obviously the hard part to solve.

That said, I wouldn’t be completely shocked if Tesla launched a “robotaxi” in California this year. It just won’t be what Tesla has been promising for years: customer vehicles built since 2016 would be capable of self-driving at a robotaxi-level (4-5 SAE levels).

Instead, it will be an internal fleet with teleoperation support in a geo-fenced area, much like Waymo has been offering in California, Arizona, and Texas for years.