Tesla May Use Face ID To Decide Who Can Use FSD

FSD Restrictions

Tesla's Fully Self-Driving (FSD) feature has been a constantly evolving technology, not only in capabilities but also in regulations and safeguards. As FSD advances in its self-driving capabilities, the people in charge are keen to keep things as safe as possible.

Currently, all FSD Teslas must be supervised by a driver/owner, but a new Tesla app update adds a key feature that could improve accountability and safety.

FSD Face ID

Face recognition is already common; we use it on our devices. The latest Tesla App update (version 4.58.5) hints at adding Face ID features to the app, specifically for FSD technology. Effectively, the new update seems to address some issues with the in-car cabin camera recording system.

Introduced in 2021, the system was initially said to prevent vandals from wrecking Robotaxis, but has been mandated to record drivers during road operation of the vehicle in order to have proper data analysis in the event of a crash or any other safety events. However, sometime in 2022, it was revealed that the recording system was easily duped, failing to detect when the camera was covered, rendering the recordings useless.

Safety First Or Subscribers First?

In 2023, an improved Driver Monitoring System (DMS) was integrated with the existing in-car recording system to enhance safety. The DMS measures the driver's fatigue and overall attention regardless of whether the car is using FSD. This latest software update (version 4.58.5) includes keywords such as "fsdIdentityCheckFailedMessage" and "showFsdIdentityCheckFailedDialog," which, according to AutoEvolution, suggest that Tesla is adding more safeguards. One could be for Robotaxis: using Facial ID can verify passengers' identities.

There is also speculation that the Face ID feature could be used as a means to clamp down on FSD subscription use. Let's say the camera detects that the driver using the car isn't the same person the FSD subscription is linked to; Tesla could easily prevent the car from enabling any FSD features unless the "official" driver/owner is in the driver's seat. No official word from Tesla has been published yet as to the full extent of the Face ID features, but the possibilities seem endless.

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