Tesla-Doxxing “DOGEquest” Site Is Probably Fake, Musk Still Calls It Terrorism
A site called DOGEquest popped up recently, purportedly showing the names, addresses, and contact information of those who own the Tesla Model 3 and other EVs from the brand. A protest against Elon Musk’s recent actions as an advisor to President Trump in the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), the site jokingly called itself a social hub for anyone supporting the now-infamous CEO according to Carscoops. It also disclaimed any “artistic protests” and vandalism taken by site users with access to that information. Musk was quick to take to Twitter when the site’s existence was revealed on Monday, calling it “domestic terrorism.” Trouble is, DOGEquest doesn’t actually seem to be that effective at its job.
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DOGEquest Has Incomplete And Unverifiable Data
An investigation into DOGEquest by InsideEVs revealed that the site, which is showing a DNS failure at the time of writing, didn’t actually include a complete list of Tesla owners – the author’s home state of Ohio only showed six Teslas on the map, for example. Some information was verified to be true, like the locations of Tesla dealerships and service facilities, but that data is available to anyone with an internet connection and a cursory knowledge of Google, so it’s not as though DOGEquest was breaking any new ground.
That didn’t stop Musk from crying foul at the site, labeling it an encouragement of destruction and “extreme domestic terrorism” on his X account (formerly known as Twitter) on Tuesday afternoon. It’s important to note that the FBI defines domestic terrorism as violent, criminal acts committed by individuals and/or groups to further ideological goals stemming from domestic influences, such as those of a political, religious, social, racial, or environmental nature. Whether DOGEquest’s dataset meets those criteria is a matter for debate. This isn’t the first time Musk has spoken out against doxxing; the billionaire promised to ban any journalist from X who reported on the location of his private plane, information that is publicly accessible through the FAA.
Tesla Owners Are Facing Increased Vandalism Threats
Although DOGEquest’s information was incomplete at best, that doesn’t mean Tesla owners haven’t been dealt a nasty hand in the wake of Elon Musk’s unelected actions at DOGE. Reports of vandalism on privately owned vehicles have been on the rise, as have protests and damaging actions at company-owned retailers. Teslas, which are already historically expensive to insure, may soon see another big price bump at the hands of the actuaries as a result of the vandalism.
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All The Ways Tesla Owners Are Retaliating Against Elon Musk
Up until recently, Elon Musk was considered just another eccentric genius, but recent developments have put him at the center of American politics.
Owners keen to distance themselves from Musk’s public persona, which includes flashing a “Roman salute” at a Trump rally in January, have been taking action, including debadging their cars, applying disclaimer-style bumper stickers, and even getting rid of their vehicles secondhand. Folks in that latter camp may be grateful to Ford and Polestar, both of which offer Tesla conquest rebates on vehicles like the Mustang Mach-E, Polestar 2 sport sedan, and Polestar 3 crossover.
