Waymo is working to crack down on the practice, the company confirmed Friday, after reports of new mid-ride age-verification checks surfaced on social media. The company “has policies in place” to help identify violations of its terms of service, Waymo spokesperson Chris Bonelli wrote in a statement to WIRED. “We are continuing to refine our systems and processes for accuracy over time.” Waymo says violating its terms of service can result in an account being temporarily or permanently suspended.
The company uses cameras inside its cars to check whether riders are violating its rules. Its privacy policy states that the company records in-vehicle video during trips. Waymo says its support staff can “review video in some circumstances” and, “in more urgent circumstances,” can access live video during the trip. The company says it does not use facial recognition or “other biometric identification technologies” to identify individuals.
The news comes a month after several California labor groups, including the California Gig Workers Union, filed a formal complaint with a state regulatory agency, accusing Waymo of knowingly violating the terms of its permit to operate in the state by knowingly transporting unaccompanied minors. The case was assigned to a judge this week. The state is evaluating new rules that could allow solo riders under the age of 18 in driverless cars, perhaps analogous to the program that allows ride-hailing companies with human drivers to transport minors in California.
By now, many fresh-faced adults have been caught in the crossfire. On Tuesday, San Francisco machine learning engineer Nicholas Fleishauer was about five minutes into his Waymo trip when the car connected him to support. A voice came on the line asking Fleishauer to verify his age. He told the worker the truth: He was 35 years old. “I had dirty and wet hair and a backpack on me,” he explains, explaining why he would have been flagged by Waymo’s system. Also, “People have told me I look young for my age.” Fleischhauer says he takes Waymo weekly, but this is the first time he’s been asked about his age.
Since last summer, Waymo has allowed parents in the Phoenix area to set up teen accounts for riders ages 14 to 17. These accounts allow adults to track teen riders’ real-time locations during their trips. Waymo says a specially trained team of support agents deals with any problems its teen riders have. Waymo says “hundreds of thousands” of Phoenix families use the service each week.
In Waymo’s other markets across the US, adults are allowed to ride with guests under 18, although children under 8 must be in a safe car or booster seat.
Ethan S. Klein is 23 years old, but on Thursday his 26th L.A. Waymo ride — as well as the music he was listening to — was interrupted by an in-car call from a support agent who asked him, for the first time, to verify his date of birth. Klein is an adult, but his first impulses were almost adolescent. “I was a little startled,” he says. “I thought I was in trouble!”
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