In early June 2025, nationwide protests erupted against the Trump administration’s immigration policies, marked prominently by events in Los Angeles where nearly 5,000 military personnel were deployed. Among the vivid images that defined the protests were malfunctioning Waymo robotaxis, which were vandalized and set ablaze, temporarily halting service in their operational areas, including parts of San Francisco.
The vandalized vehicles underscore growing concerns about surveillance and data collection, particularly regarding how technology can be wielded by law enforcement to monitor and control public demonstrations. Waymo’s driverless cars are equipped with 29 external cameras, which provide a comprehensive view of the surroundings and potentially capture significant footage of events.
Waymo has revealed that it sometimes shares video footage with law enforcement when formal legal requests are made. However, the specifics of how often these requests occur or how the company responds remain opaque. Unlike its parent company, Google, Waymo does not publish a transparency report detailing such legal requests. This lack of transparency raises alarms about privacy and the potential for misuse of data collected during everyday operations.
A spokesperson for Waymo, Sandy Karp, stated that the company aims to challenge data requests that seem overly broad or legally weak. However, they have not disclosed information on particular cases. Waymo’s policies permit sharing data to comply with legal obligations and to protect safety; yet, it is unclear whether data from the vandalized vehicles was stored, how long it is retained, or whether it can be accessed after destruction.
Historically, Waymo has engaged with law enforcement in various capacities, including since 2016 in Arizona where city police have utilized footage for criminal investigations. Notably, officers claimed to have obtained helpful footage regarding a road rage incident. In San Francisco, the police have acknowledged using footage from Waymo vehicles for investigative purposes shortly after the company’s services commenced.
Despite the recent vandalism of its vehicles, Waymo continues to comply with law enforcement requests for video footage, having done so for multiple investigations, including serious crimes. This engagement exemplifies a broader trend in which law enforcement leverages technology from autonomous vehicles not only for traffic-related incidents but also in serious criminal investigations, raising important discussions around privacy, ethical use of surveillance technology, and civil liberties.
