{"id":149894,"date":"2025-06-11T02:25:06","date_gmt":"2025-06-11T02:25:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/waymos-robotaxis-have-become-a-tool-for-police-control-and-in-los-angeles-they-are-being-set-on-fire\/"},"modified":"2025-06-11T02:25:12","modified_gmt":"2025-06-11T02:25:12","slug":"waymos-robotaxis-have-become-a-tool-for-police-control-and-in-los-angeles-they-are-being-set-on-fire","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/waymos-robotaxis-have-become-a-tool-for-police-control-and-in-los-angeles-they-are-being-set-on-fire\/","title":{"rendered":"Waymo’s robotaxis have become a tool for police control. And in Los Angeles, they are being set on fire."},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The recent turmoil in the streets of \u00a0Los Angeles\u00a0 began as a \u00a0protest\u00a0 against \u00a0anti-immigration raids\u00a0 in the United States but rapidly escalated into violent clashes. Demonstrators have faced off against the police, vandalized businesses, and even set vehicles on fire. \u00a02,000\u00a0 members of the \u00a0National Guard\u00a0 and \u00a0700 Marines\u00a0 were mobilized to manage the escalating situation. Earlier today, President \u00a0Donald Trump\u00a0 announced he would double the number of National Guard troops, amidst ongoing legal questions about their deployment.<\/p>\n

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The protests have continued for four days, marked by heightened tensions that have culminated in confrontations with law enforcement. Amid this turmoil, one company appears to be at the forefront of the chaos: \u00a0Waymo\u00a0.<\/p>\n

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Waymo: The Target of Anger<\/h2>\n

One of the most striking images from the protests is that of a protester standing atop a vandalized Waymo vehicle, waving a \u00a0Mexican flag\u00a0. This moment encapsulates the broader discontent towards the autonomous vehicle company.<\/p>\n

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“Sometimes an image says more than words,” remarked \u00a0Aldo Butazzoni\u00a0, a conservative journalist covering the riots. Waymo\u2019s targeting is no accident, as the company operates a robotaxi service in Los Angeles and has been subjected to increasing acts of vandalism.<\/p>\n

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On \u00a0June 8\u00a0, a viral photograph captured at least three Waymo vehicles engulfed in flames. The company later reported that five cars had been torched and announced a temporary halt to its services due to the unrest. According to the \u00a0Los Angeles Times\u00a0, protesters even threw shared \u00a0Lime scooters\u00a0 at the vehicles to smash their windows.<\/p>\n

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But why is Waymo facing such \u00a0intense backlash\u00a0?<\/p>\n

While the fires represent significant damage to urban property, the demonstrators likely have deeper motivations for their aggression. Waymo has faced multiple acts of vandalism since its inception. In July of last year, an individual was accused of slashing the tires of \u00a017 Waymo vehicles\u00a0. Previous incidents include vehicles being set on fire in both \u00a0Los Angeles\u00a0 and \u00a0San Francisco\u00a0, where the company also operates.<\/p>\n

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\u201cWaymo lacks humanity. Its services are expensive, and the politicians who promote it use it as an excuse to defund public transportation. I hope Waymo collapses,\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

These words from \u00a0Elise Joshi\u00a0, a climate activist, encapsulate the sentiment behind the ongoing hostilities against Waymo on social media. The service has always stirred controversy, even as it approaches \u00a0800,000 riders per month\u00a0. Critics argue that it undermines public transportation, serves only corporate interests, and complicates daily urban mobility.<\/p>\n

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In recent years, issues arising from \u00a0robotaxi services\u00a0 have led to various incidents, ranging from minor infractions like nearly \u00a0600 parking tickets\u00a0 for improper parking in just one year to more serious problems, such as a \u00a0Cruise vehicle\u00a0 blocking emergency services while attending to an accident.<\/p>\n

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The repercussions of these \u00a0robotaxi\u00a0 companies extend far beyond the immediate context, with claims suggesting they contribute to housing issues in cities like \u00a0San Francisco\u00a0.<\/p>\n

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Constant Surveillance<\/h2>\n

Another crucial reason for the ongoing assaults on Waymo vehicles relates to their role in monitoring and surveillance. Vandalizing a Waymo car effectively removes it from service, preventing its use by law enforcement.<\/p>\n

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Reports from \u00a0Time\u00a0 highlight that police have increasingly relied on Waymo\u2019s cameras for their \u00a0investigations\u00a0. Each \u00a0Jaguar I-Pace\u00a0 used by Waymo is equipped with \u00a029 cameras\u00a0, making them valuable assets for law enforcement.<\/p>\n

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A recent article indicated that the \u00a0Los Angeles Police Department\u00a0 prioritized footage from Waymo vehicles in their investigations. In April, they even shared a video on \u00a0YouTube\u00a0 to solicit public assistance in identifying a vehicle involved in an unrelated pedestrian accident.<\/p>\n

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While Waymo stated it examines police requests carefully and does not freely hand over data, \u00a0Bloomberg\u00a0 suggested in \u00a02023\u00a0 that police reliance on such vehicles is becoming increasingly common.<\/p>\n

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It\u2019s noteworthy that the police have also made requests for footage from \u00a0Tesla\u00a0, suggesting that surveillance capabilities are not limited to Waymo alone. Concerns have been raised regarding these vehicles potentially recording footage of their owners without consent.<\/p>\n

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\u201cWe\u2019ve known for a long time that these vehicles are essentially \u00a0surveillance cameras on wheels\u00a0,\u201d shared \u00a0Chris Gilliard\u00a0, a member of the \u00a0Carnegie Council\u00a0 for Ethics in International Affairs. \u201cWe should be able to live our daily lives without being surveilled unless suspected of a crime, and every piece of this technology chips away at that capability,\u201d he concluded.<\/p>\n

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In light of increasing tensions and escalating violence against robotic technologies, the discourse surrounding their implications on society continues to unfold. Until a balance is struck between technological advancement and community safety, the societal ramifications will continue to loom large.<\/p>\n


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General News – 2<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The recent turmoil in the streets of \u00a0Los Angeles\u00a0 began as a \u00a0protest\u00a0 against \u00a0anti-immigration raids\u00a0 in the United States but rapidly escalated into violent clashes. Demonstrators have faced off against the police, vandalized businesses, and even set vehicles on fire. \u00a02,000\u00a0 members of the \u00a0National Guard\u00a0 and \u00a0700 Marines\u00a0 were mobilized to manage the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":149895,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36399],"tags":[11618,436,331,11617,344,36755,1428,2887,36754],"class_list":["post-149894","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology","tag-angeles","tag-control","tag-fire","tag-los","tag-police","tag-robotaxis","tag-set","tag-tool","tag-waymos"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/149894","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=149894"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/149894\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/149895"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=149894"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=149894"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=149894"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}