Waymo called the cops on its passengers

In early September, two teenagers were arrested after Waymo detected a loaded ghost gun inside the vehicle, pulled over, and alerted police. The robotaxi company said it detected a violation of its terms of service.

This wasn't a human driver deciding

Police didn't ask Waymo for footage after a crime. Instead, Waymo's cameras and AI detected something inside the car and initiated the police response itself, without a human driver's judgment.

Waymo uses AI to enforce its rules

Waymo spokesperson Julia Ilina said the company uses automated technology to detect prohibited items like firearms inside vehicles. If detected, Waymo may reach out to local law enforcement.

“If Waymo detects a firearm in the vehicle, we may reach out to local law enforcement.”

But Waymo won't explain how it works

The company didn't disclose how its system determines if something is a firearm, how confident it needs to be before flagging something, or what role humans play between an automated alert and calling police.

Computer vision can be trained to spot guns

Experts say AI systems can be trained to recognize weapons and dangerous situations. But those systems are never one hundred percent accurate, and a remote worker reviewing flagged moments may lack the context a human driver would have.

“If you can train a computer to look at the road and decide how to drive, you can train a computer to decide if somebody's holding a gun.”

A human driver has crucial context

A taxi driver sees a passenger for the entire ride, hears conversations, and can ask questions to determine if an object is real, a toy, or something else. A remote reviewer may only see a flagged moment.

Waymo's microphones aren't always on

Interior microphones are generally active only during calls with Rider Support or when riders enable them. This means a reviewer may not hear what preceded a flagged moment.

False alarms could endanger passengers

A wrong call about a firearm could put passengers at risk during a police encounter. Getting it right matters for both safety and trust in robotaxis.

“It's really important that Waymo gets it right when they alert the police to something dangerous.”

Riders think they're more private than they are

Without a driver in the front seat, robotaxis feel more private than they actually are. In 2023, people reported having sex in Cruise robotaxis despite cameras inside them.

Terms of service don't mention police calls

Waymo's terms prohibit weapons and drugs but don't plainly tell passengers that the company may call police based on what it sees inside the car. The policy language is vague about automated monitoring.

Privacy advocates want clearer disclosure

Hayley Tsukayama from the Electronic Frontier Foundation said Waymo's policies are too broad. Riders shouldn't have to infer from vague language that their behavior could trigger a police response.

“If they're going to share it with authorities, then that should be clearly stated in the policy.”

Waymo has a history with law enforcement

Police have obtained search warrants for Waymo footage before. During anti-ICE protests in Los Angeles, five Waymos were vandalized over concerns they could capture images of protesters for identification or arrest.

This echoes concerns about license plate readers

Flock's automated license plate readers let police track cars across jurisdictions. Waymos move through cities with both exterior and interior cameras, raising similar surveillance concerns.

What kind of space is a robotaxi?

The incident raises a basic question: is a robotaxi a ride with cameras for safety, a continuously monitored space, or a system that can call the cops on its own passengers?

Fiction is already exploring this fear

An upcoming short film called Road Rage depicts a driverless car that turns against humans. The unsettling idea is that a robotaxi could act less like transportation and more like law enforcement.