Alphabet-owned robotaxi firm Waymo is limiting service resulting from Saturday’s scheduled nationwide “No Kings” protests in opposition to President Donald Trump and his insurance policies.
A Waymo spokesperson confirmed the modifications to Wired on Friday. Service is reportedly affected in San Francisco, Austin, Atlanta, and Phoenix, and is fully suspended in Los Angeles. It’s not clear how lengthy the restricted service will final.
As a part of protests final weekend in Los Angeles in opposition to the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, 5 Waymo autos had been set on hearth and spray painted with anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) messages. In response, Waymo suspended service in downtown LA.
Whereas it’s not fully clear why protestors focused the autos, they could be seen as a surveillance instrument, as police departments have requested robotaxi footage for his or her investigations previously. (Waymo says it challenges requests that it sees as overly broad or missing a authorized foundation.)
In accordance with the San Francisco Chronicle, the town’s hearth chief advised officers Wednesday that “in a interval of civil unrest, we is not going to attempt to extinguish these fires until they’re up in opposition to a constructing.”
