Photo taken on Oct. 26, 2020 shows the Tesla China-made Model 3 vehicles at its gigafactory in Shanghai, east China. Photo: Xinhua

US electric carmaker Tesla said on Tuesday that it will gradually increase local data centers in China, while reiterating that all data collected in the Chinese mainland will be stored locally, as the authorities have moved to tighten regulations to protect data security amid growing concerns.

In a post on its official account on social media platform Sina Weibo, Tesla said that the company has built data centers in China to realize localization of data storage, and it will gradually increase the number of local data centers. It did not offer further details of future data centers in China. 

"All data produced from selling cars in the Chinese mainland market will be stored within the border," the automaker said, reiterating earlier commitments made by company executives. 

The latest reassurance came as relevant Chinese departments seek to tighten regulations to protect personal data collected by electric vehicles. On May 12, the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) issued a draft rule for car companies to bolster protection of consumer data.   

Among other provisions, the strict CAC rules require operators to gain permission from users before collecting their personal information, and the data would have to be stored safely so as to allow car owners to access it in a convenient manner. 

While the draft rule is aimed at the whole industry rather than any specific company, Tesla responded in a brief statement, saying it supports and responds to the auto industry's new regulative moves. The company has lately drawn fire over its handling of a Chinese consumer's complaint over alleged brake failure issue, including reportedly initially refusing to provide the consumer with access to the vehicle's data.

Tesla's statement on Tuesday comes as the company continues to face growing criticism and concerns over not just car safety and customer service issues, but also the security of the data collected by Tesla. Some media outlets have reported that Tesla cars have been banned from certain sensitive areas in China due to in-car cameras and other data collection functions on its cars.