Waymo called the cops on teen riders, raising privacy concerns
Waymo alerted police to suspected criminal activity by two teenagers inside one of its autonomous robotaxis in San Mateo, California. The incident has sparked a debate regarding passenger privacy and the extent to which autonomous vehicle companies should monitor and report user behavior.
Why it matters
As autonomous vehicles become more common, the balance between public safety and individual privacy remains a critical and unresolved legal issue.
Police in San Mateo, Calif., posted Monday on social media that they had apprehended a pair of teenagers from a Waymo driverless robotaxi after the company alerted authorities to suspected criminal activity. It's the latest incident involving video surveillance of passengers and others by autonomous vehicles — raising questions about the limits of privacy in such vehicles.
Technology Waymo will recall software after its self-driving cars passed stopped school buses The Facebook post by the San Mateo County Police said: "Parents do you know where your teens are? @waymo does!"
The 15-year-olds were allegedly drinking alcohol and shooting toy guns from the car, according to the police. They said Waymo's systems detected behavior that then triggered a safety response, after which the company disabled the vehicle and contacted police.
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