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How one woman’s Tesla was remotely controlled – and used to harass her – by an abusive ex-partner
(www.theguardian.com)
this post was submitted on 17 Sep 2026
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Made a video about this story for my channel this week, but it's just a good reminder to be extra-cautious with anything that can be operated remotely: Revoke unauthorized profiles, change passwords often, check for hidden profiles, etc. If you don't know how to do that yourself, go to the dealership and get help.
I'll just add my sisters story here because its similar and just as crazy. Rob eventually tried to kill a girlfriend and luckily her new boyfriend was a better shot
https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna19253352
https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/20060817/stalker17e/man-gets-8-month-jail-term-for-stalking-his-wife
https://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/national/article98680887.html
Jesus. Awful stuff.
Totally. Thankfully his girls are normal and don't seem to have a lot of baggage from it. One of them is a very successful beautician that recently did the hair and makeup for one of the stars of the 50th SNL celebration. She looks like she could be a movie star herself.
Rob was a master manipulator yet somehow I never fell for it and it drove a wedge between us to the point that I wouldn't be invited to family events. Funny how standing up to a bully will make the bully run away.
One time he made another one of my nieces cry by being cruel with words and calling her ugly (she was 13 and that is not fucking cool to do to a 13 year old) and it made me so upset. I yelled at him and confronted him. Anyway a few moments into the argument he acts like he wants to fight me and I step up to him and he goes and runs and hides behind my sister, knowing that I would not hurt her to get to him. Such a coward. The world is a better place without him.
Good on you for sticking up for the kid. That is an awful way to treat a young girl, no doubt, and standing up to bullies is important.
Knowing nothing of Tesla would she have been able to gain control back AFTER the lock was put on?
For example you can reboot an Android to safe mode and wipe back to factory.
I'm not sure if that's possible on tech heavily cloud controlled through apps and online accounts.
Basically, the person that owns the car can always kick out other people's access.
If she legally registered that vehicle under her partner's name (instead of her's), then she's shit out of luck.