A Waymo Operator Watched Live Cabin Video, Tricked Two Riders, and Handed Them to Five Cops
A Waymo employee watching the interior cameras live called 911, lied to the riders about a mechanical fault, and remotely disabled the car so five armed officers and a police dog could surround it.
"Parents do you know where your teens are? Waymo does!"
404 Media (Jason Koebler)
Every Google robotaxi carries interior cameras and microphones that the company cheerfully calls the eyes and ears of its Waymo Driver, and in San Mateo a remote operator used them to watch two 15-year-olds, ring the cops over what turned out to be an Orbeez gun, and feed police live updates. The operator told the riders the car had mechanical trouble, a flat lie, while quietly steering them into a parking lot where five officers waited with guns drawn and a German Shepherd. Waymo declined to comment and pointed reporters at a policy admitting support staff may access live video mid-trip and hand footage to law enforcement, which is the surveillance camera you pay to sit inside. San Mateo police celebrated the bust on Facebook, and a Santa Clara ethics director flagged the obvious questions about passenger privacy that the company would rather you not ask. 404 Media on the Waymo that called the cops
Source: 404 Media (Jason Koebler) · Jason Koebler
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