(suspenseful music) - [Narrator] This Tesla Autopilot
computer is being hacked to retrieve information almost nobody outside of Tesla can access. Highly encrypted raw data from
Tesla's Autopilot sensors. In the lead up to a crash, Tesla's computer system
records this data that tells us what obstacles the
Autopilot system detected or failed to detect, data Tesla protects as a trade secret. (suspenseful music intensifies) (suspenseful music softens) The company says they provide drivers with hundreds of data points on crashes with granularity down to the millisecond. But those data points don't show the exact
decisions Autopilot made. So, it's often hard to know what role Autopilot may
have played in crashes. (suspenseful music intensifies) (soft mysterious music) The Wall Street Journal
obtained a set of full data as part of its investigation into why Teslas in Autopilot

have been involved in hundreds of crashes, many of them deadly. The only way to get this information (bees buzzing) is from deep within the car itself. (mysterious electronic music) Here's how it's done. First, you need a wrecked Tesla. Then, you need a mechanic who knows these cars inside and out. (tool buzzing) - A Tesla's pretty much a computer on wheels. Hey, (chuckling) what's up man! I work on Teslas because I like 'em. I work on salvage Teslas, usually an accident wrecks. - [Narrator] In order (tool buzzing) to understand the car's data fully, it needs to be paired with video the car records, (components shuffling) which is on a USB drive in the car's glove compartment. (tool buzzing) - To pull the USB footage, open the glove box, (glove box clicking) there's no button for it. USB Drive? Looks like we have it.

(vehicle revving distantly) Oh! (soft electronic music) After watching the video, if we wanted to know whether or not Autopilot was on or off, the
video is not gonna say that. (soft suspenseful music) The computer will have that information. - [Narrator] Accessing
the Tesla's computer that stores this data
requires taking the car apart and disconnecting it
(tool buzzing) from the car's other components. - The computer's here on the footwell.
(component clicking) Under the glove box. (glove box shuffling) (component clicking) (component shuffling) And we have the computer off. - [Narrator] The next step is carefully cracking open the computer's casing,
(component clicking) exposing its chips and circuitry. - There's certain parts of these cars that
(tool buzzing) didn't anticipate ever being
removed or taken apart. This is the Autopilot computer. I've never seen a board with
so many resistors before.

in my life. (soft electronic music) Tesla's computer is heavily
encrypted and guarded. (bubble wrap shuffling) - [Narrator] Diaz then
sends the Autopilot computer across the country to a hacker. (tape swishing) The hacker uses a microscope and soldering equipment
to gain direct access to the central processing unit, from which he's able to extract raw data from the Tesla's sensors. We can see a constant
stream of information from the Tesla's radar, showing its detection of moving traffic, as well as stationary
obstacles like the guardrail. We can also see the inner workings of the most
important Autopilot sensor, the car's cameras. The hacked data shows
Autopilot recognizing and labeling objects on the road, judging their distance and position. Altogether, the data can show us what the car's software was seeing and the decisions it made
in the lead up to a crash. (suspenseful music intensifies)

How Hackers and Mechanics Unearth Tesla’s Hidden Autopilot Data | WSJ

The Wall Street Journal takes you inside carefully selected stories and events in a visually captivating way so you can dig deeper into the news and insights that matter to you. 

How Hackers and Mechanics Unearth Tesla’s Hidden Autopilot Data | WSJ

How Hackers and Mechanics Unearth Tesla’s Hidden Autopilot Data | WSJ

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