Your Driverless Cab Is Spying on You
Robotaxi companies like Waymo are increasingly using internal cabin cameras to monitor passenger behavior and enforce safety rules. Privacy advocates warn that these surveillance practices lack clear regulation, leaving consumers vulnerable to broad data collection policies.
Why it matters
As autonomous vehicles become more common, the lack of clear privacy standards for in-cabin monitoring raises significant questions about consumer rights.
The story has a happy(ish) ending: The gun was shooting water-filled Orbeez, not bullets. But the incident drew attention to Waymo’s surveillance system. The cars are equipped with automated tech that can flag the presence of a firearm inside, the company said.
The outsides of self-driving cars are studded with cameras, which help them “see” the world around them. (Most also use other sensors, including radar and lidar.) Less appreciated are the cameras inside the vehicles, which companies say are essential to keeping riders safe and enforcing their rules. Earlier this year, Waymo said it used its cabin cameras to do both after some California passengers, many in their twenties or older, reported that Waymo employees suddenly took over the vehicles’ intercoms mid-ride to make sure they were old enough to ride on their own. (One 35-year-old told WIRED he thought his backpack sent up red flags.)
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