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Google-owned Waymo’s CEO on allowing authorities access to self-driving car data: We will make that publicly known
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Waymo has shared an update regarding the sharing of its self-driving vehicle data with government authorities. The cars of the Google-owned company, which offers autonomous ride-hailing services across multiple US cities, are equipped with 29 cameras and have become a new source of data for law enforcement.
During a recent podcast interview, Waymo co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana confirmed that the company receives requests for footage from authorities and provides data in accordance with a legal process. This comes as police have increasingly sought data from tech companies for their investigations.
The use of self-driving cars as a surveillance tool has raised questions about the extent of law enforcement’s access to footage captured during robotaxi rides.
“On the question of when and how law enforcement gets access to our data, we make that publicly known. We follow the legal process to receive footage from our vehicles, and we narrow the scope of that as needed,” Mawakana said at the podcast.
What Waymo said about law enforcement getting data from its self-driving cars
In a statement to Business Insider, a Waymo spokesperson said that law enforcement authorities need to make a “valid” request for this data.“As a general matter, we require valid legal process (in the form of a warrant or court order) from law enforcement agencies who seek information and data from Waymo. Our policy is to challenge, limit, or reject requests that do not have a valid legal basis or are overbroad,” the spokesperson said.
US authorities are increasingly using autonomous cars for evidence collection. In April, the LAPD shared hit-and-run footage from a Waymo vehicle, which was labelled “Waymo Confidential Commercial Information.”
Waymo’s privacy policy states that it may share data with law enforcement or third parties for legal reasons or for specific business purposes.
“Waymo also uses information to satisfy applicable laws or regulations, and discloses information as required by regulation or in response to legal process or enforceable government requests, including to law enforcement,” the company added.
In the podcast, Mawakana also noted that maintaining rider trust remains a key priority for the company. In June, anti-ICE demonstrators torched five Waymo vehicles in Los Angeles, prompting a temporary suspension of service in the city.
“At the end of the day, we need communities to be able to trust us,” Mawakana noted.
