Waymo CEO says the company will push back on law enforcement requests: 'We need communities to be able to trust us'

"Waymo's self-driving cars include a valuable resource for law enforcement: a bunch of cameras. Police have long sought data from tech companies, like Amazon and others, during their investigations. Now they are doing the same for self-driving cars. Waymo installs 29 cameras in each robotaxi, prompting some to question how much access authorities have to footage captured during rides. During an interview on the "Hard Fork" podcast published on Friday, Waymo co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana said the company adheres to a legal process."

""On the question of when and how law enforcement gets access to our data, we make that publicly known," Mawakana said. "We follow the legal process to receive footage from our vehicles, and we narrow the scope of that as needed." Autonomous vehicles, which are becoming more common in major US cities, have presented authorities with a new way to obtain footage that may be used as evidence. The LA Police Department posted footage obtained from a Waymo vehicle to its YouTube page in April."

"Waymo's privacy policy details parties that may gain access to information, including law enforcement and third parties, "for legal reasons." A separate section outlines business purposes that would lead Waymo to disclose information. "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 says."

Waymo's robotaxis have extensive camera systems, with 29 cameras per vehicle, creating footage that can assist law enforcement investigations. The company follows legal processes when responding to law enforcement requests and limits the scope of requests deemed too broad. Waymo's privacy policy permits disclosure to law enforcement and third parties for legal reasons and to satisfy laws, regulations, or enforceable government requests. Instances include the LAPD posting Waymo-obtained footage showing a hit-and-run. Company leadership emphasizes the importance of maintaining community trust while complying with lawful data requests.

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