From The Verge · Terrence O'Brien · · 1m 10s
Waymo pulled over and called the cops
Two teens with a ghost gun learned that a robotaxi is also a witness.
In brief
Two teens with a ghost gun learned that a robotaxi is also a witness. A robotaxi watches what happens inside it, and it will report you. Originally reported by The Verge.
The robotaxi snitched
Two juveniles riding a Waymo in San Francisco were arrested after the car pulled itself over and called police on them.
“Your robotaxi can and will snitch on you.”
A loaded ghost gun
Officers found the teens with a loaded AR-style ghost gun. Both were taken to juvenile hall.
Waymo confirmed it later
The police report never named the operator of the self-driving car. Waymo told the Los Angeles Times the vehicle was one of its own.
Terms of service, enforced
A Waymo spokesperson said the system detected a violation involving a firearm. The car pulled over and alerted authorities on its own.
“violation of our terms of service involving a firearm”
It has done this before
Earlier this year a Waymo faked mechanical trouble to stop after passengers drank alcohol and fired a toy gun out the back. Those riders were juveniles too.
The lesson for teens
If you plan to do something dumb, the back seat of a robotaxi is the worst place for it.
“if you're gonna do dumb stuff, don't do it in the back of a robotaxi”
What matters most
A robotaxi watches what happens inside it, and it will report you.
