Waymo traps teens firing toy gun in driverless car, raising privacy concerns
A group of teens in San Mateo were recorded using a Waymo driverless car to drive around while firing a toy gun at objects from the vehicle. The incident, captured by Waymo's internal cameras, has raised concerns about passenger privacy and the extent of surveillance inside autonomous vehicles.
Background
- Waymo is Alphabet's (Google) autonomous ride-hailing service, operating in parts of the Bay Area and Phoenix. Its vehicles have no human driver but are monitored remotely.
- The incident: Teens in San Mateo County allegedly entered a Waymo car and fired a toy gun out the window. The car locked them in and automatically called police — features intended for safety.
- Privacy concerns raised because Waymo's internal cameras captured the suspects' faces, and the company reportedly shared that footage with police without a warrant. Critics argue this amounts to warrantless surveillance of riders.
- This is the latest in a series of viral incidents involving Waymo cars (e.g., vehicles circling parking lots, blocking traffic, or being vandalized) that highlight the tension between autonomous safety features and rider/civil liberties.