The National Transportation Safety Board, a US government agency that investigates crashes, has ordered the Dawn Project organization to stop using its seal after it appeared in a Super Bowl ad urging customers to boycott Tesla.
The NTSB stated in a letter that its seal must be withdrawn immediately from the Dawn Project’s website and YouTube page, as well as any future airings of the commercial. The NTSB stated in a news release that it did not allow the use of its seal and does not endorse the Dawn Project’s work.
“We used the NTSB’s seal in our second Super Bowl LVIII commercial whilst we were referring to Tesla refusing to implement the NTSB’s prudent safety recommendations, recommendations with which The Dawn Project fully agrees. Unlike Tesla, we have great respect for the NTSB.”
Dawn Project spokesperson
The Dawn Project, a safety advocacy group financed by tech CEO Dan O’Dowd, launched two spots during Super Bowl LVIII in Washington, DC, Dover, Delaware, Santa Barbara, California, and Traverse City, Michigan, which is home to US Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg. The cost of running the commercials in those markets was $552,000.
The advertisements challenge Tesla Full Self-Driving, an advanced driver assistance program that O’Dowd claims has serious safety flaws. FSD is not self-driving. Instead, the improved $12,000 system conducts some autonomous driving functions while requiring a human driver to be ready to take charge at all times.
The Dawn Project has been campaigning against the use of Tesla FSD for years, including an advertisement in last year’s Super Bowl. This year, the group’s advertisement used the NTSB seal, which drew the agency’s notice.
NTSB General Counsel William McMurry Jr. called the use illegal, noting that the commercial had also been placed on the organization’s website and YouTube channel.
The agency also included a screenshot of the ad, which is shown below.
“Due to the nature of our work and the need to be unambiguously independent from commercial interests, we strive to protect the international reputation of the NTSB by preventing unapproved use of our seal,” the letter reads.
“Contrary to Federal law, you did not obtain, and the NTSB did not grant, permission to use the NTSB Seal in your Super Bowl LVIII commercial or on any other materials. Moreover, your unauthorized use of the NTSB’s seal spuriously implies endorsement of your company and/or message by the NTSB.”
