How Waymo Handles Footage From Events Like the LA Immigration Protests

Waymo declined to reply questions from WIRED astir really galore cameras are wrong its vehicles, precisely really agelong footage is retained, and whether nan institution has ever turned complete footage to US national rule enforcement aliases a branch of nan military. Karp did note, however, that nan company’s engineering squad sometimes uses accusation from sensors, including video footage and different data, to tally simulations aimed astatine improving its technology. She says Waymo besides puts limits connected some who tin entree information and really agelong it’s retained.

Waymo’s robotaxi work is presently available successful nan Phoenix metro area and parts of San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Austin. In nan company’s comparatively short clip operating successful US cities, it’s shown a willingness to comply pinch requests for footage from rule enforcement.

Officers moving for Arizona’s Mesa Police Department and Chandler Police Departments person been requesting and utilizing footage from Waymos for criminal investigations since 2016, aliases astir as agelong arsenic nan vehicles person been successful their towns, according to reporting from Phoenix’s ABC 15. Police told nan news outlet successful 2022 that they person utilized nan footage for respective cases, including an alleged roadworthy rage incident. (The individual pleaded blameworthy aft being charged pinch disorderly conduct.)

In May 2022, 2 months aft Waymo began limited robotaxi operations successful San Francisco, Vice reported that a training archive for San Francisco constabulary explicitly told officers that “autonomous vehicles” person footage that could sometimes “help pinch investigative leads.”

As of 2023, Waymo had been issued astatine slightest 9 hunt warrants successful San Francisco and Arizona’s Maricopa County, its superior markets astatine nan time, according to reporting from Bloomberg. One of nan cases progressive nan execution of an Uber driver successful 2021. While San Francisco constabulary said they couldn’t place a circumstantial Waymo conveyance that was adjacent nan crime scene, an serviceman based on that location was “probable cause” Waymo vehicles were “driving astir nan area” and had footage of nan victim, imaginable suspects, and nan crime scene, according to a hunt warrant viewed by Bloomberg. Waymo complied and provided footage, but it yet did not lead to nan apprehension of nan suspect, who was convicted of nan execution successful 2023.

Last year, WIRED reported that Waymo had sued 2 individuals for allegedly vandalizing its vehicles successful San Francisco and had camera footage from nan cars of nan alleged incidents. (One of nan cases is ongoing; nan different was dismissed past month.)

Waymo’s video signaling and information postulation practices aren’t unique. All vehicles pinch self-driving capabilities trust connected a operation of lidar, radar, and video information successful bid to operate. Cruise, nan now defunct self-driving car task tally by General Motors, also reportedly gave camera footage to rule enforcement upon request.

Private owners of camera-equipped vehicles tin besides voluntarily move complete camera footage to rule enforcement. For example, constabulary successful Berkeley, CA person received astatine slightest 2 sets of footage from nan proprietor of a Tesla Cybertruck who said their car was vandalized doubly this year, according to documents obtained by WIRED via nationalist grounds request.

Additional reporting by Paresh Dave.