Fans of robotaxis hail the privacy and intimacy offered by a driverless car. But don’t forget: Waymo could be watching.
The case has been made clear time and time again — and more recently in San Mateo after Waymo reported two 15-year-old riders to the local police department.
Jeanine Luna, a San Mateo Police Department spokesperson, told Business Insider that a Waymo representative called on Monday afternoon after the company believed two passengers were “manipulating a firearm” and might be intoxicated.
The Waymo representative told the police that they could see inside the vehicle and described a black object being passed between the riders. At one point, the Waymo rep reported seeing what appeared to be “recoil,” Luna said.
Waymo did not alert the passengers that it had contacted the police, Luna said. The riders “were told the vehicle had issues” and that the Waymo was being pulled over into a parking lot.
“The doors were never locked, and the occupants were free to exit the vehicle before the police arrived,” Luna said, adding that the representative continued providing police with live updates.
In a social media post, authorities said they determined the firearm was an “Orbeez” gun, which fires gel beads, and the riders had been drinking alcohol. No injuries or property damage were reported.
Investigators have requested the cabin video from Waymo and are awaiting its receipt, Luna said.
Waymo declined to comment and directed Business Insider to its public guidance on in-car cameras and microphones.
Camera’s always on
Waymo’s robotaxis are equipped with cameras and microphones outside and inside the cars. The company said in public material that the in-cabin cameras are “on and recording.” The microphones are activated only during a call with rider support or if a rider chooses to turn them on.
Waymo said it uses the cameras to check cleanliness, locate lost items, assist during emergencies, enforce in-car rules, and promote safety. Its support team may also review recorded video after an issue is reported and, “in more urgent circumstances,” access live video of the trip.
As Waymo scales ridership, multiple cases have shown exactly how the company uses its in-cabin system to flag behavior that could violate Waymo’s terms of service.
Last December, when a woman gave birth in a Waymo while traveling to a San Francisco hospital, the company said that one of its remote support agents detected “unusual activity,” prompting them to connect with the riders and later call 911.
More recently, Waymo has been trying to curb underage riding, as some state laws prohibit solo riding by anyone under 18.
Waymo told California regulators that it uses interior-camera checks to flag possible violations and that it could not always reliably determine age for “older teens.”
This crackdown has led to some false positives, in which an adult rider has been mistaken for a minor.
In-cabin cameras are only part of the detection system. The company has said it also uses machine learning to help identify potentially incapacitated riders, as well as smoking and seatbelt violations that could prompt a human review of the cabin feed. The company said it does not use facial recognition or other biometric identification technology.
Waymo hasn’t publicly disclosed the full range of behaviors its systems can recognize or exactly what prompts an employee to access a live feed.
The company said it may share data with law enforcement to comply with legal requirements, enforce its agreements, or protect people’s safety. Waymo previously told Business Insider that requests for data generally require a warrant or court order when police seek data, and that it will challenge requests that lack a valid basis or are overly broad.
Waymo’s increasing ubiquity — and the perceived privacy it offers — has spawned unique rider cases.
Employees have used it as an office-on-wheels, while some friskier riders have used the space to have sex inside the robotaxi.
Riders, you do have the backseat to yourselves. It’s just not necessarily always private.
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