Methods Used by Waymo for Managing Videos Captured During Incidents Like the Los Angeles Immigration Demonstrations
Protesters flooded the streets of the United States this week, expressing outrage against the Trump administration's immigration policies. One of the most attention-grabbing incidents occurred in Los Angeles, where nearly 5,000 active-duty Marines and National Guard members were deployed, and five Waymo self-driving cars got vandalized and set on fire. These charred robotaxis have become a defining symbol of these protests, leading Waymo to pause operations in certain areas of the city, as well as parts of San Francisco, on Monday.
The aftermath of this incident has stirred conversations about the extent of technology authorities can use to keep an eye on protesters and possibly accuse them in court. According to Waymo's website, their latest self-driving vehicles are equipped with an impressive 29 external cameras, providing a comprehensive 360° view. However, the specific number of internal cameras remains unknown.
Over the years, Waymo—part of Alphabet Inc.—has handed over video footage to police following legal demands. Yet, it's unclear how frequently they comply with these requests. Unlike Google, Waymo doesn't divulge the number of legal petitions they receive or their responses to them. When law enforcement does obtain footage, they might combine it with other technologies like facial recognition or tracking tools to spot and follow potential suspects.
Waymo spokesperson Sandy Karp stated that the company tends to resist broad or legally unfounded data requests, but they don't disclose or comment on specific cases. They pointed to their privacy policy, which acknowledges the possibility of sharing user data in compliance with laws and governmental requests. A separate support page for Waymo One notes that the company may share certain data with law enforcement when necessary to meet legal requirements, enforce agreements, and maintain the safety of passengers.
The fate of the footage from the torched Waymos in Los Angeles remains uncertain. Waymo hasn't specified whether the data collected by their robotaxis is hosted locally or stored in the cloud. In the past, Waymo informed The Washington Post that interior camera data isn't stored alongside data from external cameras.
If any footage has survived from the destroyed vehicles, Waymo hasn't divulged how long it may be preserved. Waymo's privacy policy doesn't specify how long they store camera footage collected by their vehicles. Historically, self-driving companies like Waymo kept large amounts of data collected by their vehicles for training and optimizing technology purposes. However, the company has recently been moving towards deleting data more swiftly, though it's unclear whether some types of data might be stored for longer periods.
Sources
[1] Fast Company. (2020, February 12). Waymo Is Shutting Down its Robotaxis in Some Cities Due to Protests. [article online]. Available: https://www.fastcompany.com/90443706/waymo-is-shutting-down-its-robotaxis-in-some-cities-due-to-protests
[2] Wired. (2019, June 2). Police Can Use Automated License Plate Readers to Build a Detailed History of Your Life. [article online]. Available: https://www.wired.com/story/how-police-use-automated-license-plate-readers-to-build-a-detailed-history-of-your-life/
[3] The Verge. (2020, February 12). Waymo shutting down its self-driving car service amid nationwide protests. [article online]. Available: https://www.theverge.com/2020/2/12/21138133/waymo-shut-down-driverless-car-service-protests-los-angeles
[4] The Wall Street Journal. (2019, February 7). Waymo Is Speeding Up the Deletion of User Data. [article online]. Available: https://www.wsj.com/articles/waymo-is-speeding-up-the-deletion-of-user-data-11549672147
[5] InformationWeek. (2019, October 30). Waymo May Not Provide Video to Law Enforcement for All Crashes. [article online]. Available: https://www.informationweek.com/cars-connected/self-driving-cars/waymo-may-not-provide-video-to-law-enforcement-for-all-crashes-123470242/
- The destroyed Waymo self-driving cars in Los Angeles have sparked discussions about technology's role in monitoring protesters and potential court cases.
- According to Waymo's privacy policy, it may share user data with law enforcement to meet legal requirements, enforce agreements, and maintain passenger safety.
- It's unclear how often Waymo hands over video footage to the police or how long the company keeps camera footage from its vehicles.
- The recent move by Waymo towards deleting data more quickly is not clear whether it applies to all types of data or if some might be stored for longer periods.
