Tesla has sent a Cease and Desist letter to a safety advocacy group, demanding that the latter takes down a video which seems to show Tesla vehicles on FSD mode repeatedly running over child-sized mannequins. The legal action comes weeks after an organization called The Dawn Project uploaded the controversial video to YouTube, leading to a flurry of angry reactions from Tesla fans everywhere. While the organization claims that the test was performed by a test driver under affidavit, it wasn't conducted with any regulatory oversight, meaning it wasn't subject to the same testing standards as other vehicles.

Led by tech entrepreneur Dan O'Dowd, The Dawn Project claims that Tesla's FSD software is a clear and present danger to children on roads, and has called for a complete ban on technology until the automaker proves that children won't be struck by its cars in FSD mode. The video has elicited an angry response from Tesla fans, who are calling it fake news and attacking O'Dowd for his advocacy. Many Tesla owners are also making their own videos that seem to show the cars on FSD mode safely navigating past child-sized cardboard cutouts. In at least two occasions, the experiments were performed using actual children instead of cardboard cutouts or mannequins, leading to YouTube taking them down, citing child endangerment.

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Tesla has demanded that The Dawn Project take down its 'Ban FSD' campaign video and issue a public retraction of its claims. The automaker also accused the organization of defaming the company, claiming that the video misrepresents its driver assistance technology. In a Cease and Desist letter sent to The Dawn Project earlier this month, the automaker dismissed the test results, saying that it is in direct contradiction with "widely recognized testing performed by independent agencies as well as the experiences shared by our customers." The statement went so far as to calling the test "seriously deceptive and likely fraudulent."

The Dawn Project Will Continue Its Anti-FSD Campaign

Tesla Model 3

O'Dowd and The Dawn Project are sticking to their guns and vowing to fight Tesla all the way. Responding to the Cease and Desist letter, O'Dowd defended the tests performed by The Dawn Project, saying they are "completely legitimate and not deceptive." He also called Musk a "crybaby" and accused him of unleashing a "troll army" against him and his organization. O'Dowd also pointed out that the letter is in direct violation to Musk's self-proclaimed free speech absolutism.

Irrespective of what comes out of the current controversy, Tesla's FSD and Autopilot technologies have come under scrutiny multiple times in the past. Just last month, a Tesla vehicle on Autopilot mode crashed into a motorcyclist, killing him instantly. The incident, which happened on Southbound Interstate 15 in Utah, triggered an investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The NHTSA is also investigating two other fatal Tesla crashes in California and Florida.

Source: The Dawn Project 1, 2