Self-driving cars = “rolling surveillance devices”
(Yet another reason to never trust Elon Musk)
Perhaps you’re one of those tech geeks who welcomes the widespread introduction of driverless cars. Perhaps you praise the Elon Musks of the world for all the selfless work they do to “improve” our lives. Then again, perhaps you’re someone more skeptical: someone who realizes that all such “progress” is funded by taxpayers, benefits the mega-rich, and increases the amount of daily surveillance in our already privacy-free lives.
You see, one important component of self-driving cars is cameras. In order for them to (theoretically) work in a safe manner, the vehicles are covered with sensors and cameras. These cameras never stop capturing and filming everything going on around them. Chris Gilliard, a Visiting Research Fellow at Harvard Kennedy School Shorenstein Center, calls such vehicles “rolling surveillance devices that expand existing widespread spying technologies.” Guess who really likes this development?
According to a recent San Francisco Police Department training document: “Autonomous vehicles are recording their surroundings continuously and have the potential to help with investigative leads.” The SFPD is already using such data.
Think about it: You’re happily cruising in your high-tech driverless car when (alleged) wrongdoing happens somewhere in your vicinity. Data from your vehicle can be accessed by the powers that shouldn’t be without your permission and used to possibly railroad some poor soul into a criminal conviction. You’ve become a narc without uttering a word, without even realizing it!
If you think I’m laying out a worst-case, sci-fi scenario, think again. First of all, companies like Ring doorbell and Amazon home security already partner with law enforcement agencies across the country to share their surveillance videos. Meanwhile, General Motors’ Cruise and Alphabet’s Waymo — makers of driverless cars — are lining up to do the same. A spokesperson from Cruise recently explained that the company “works closely with law enforcement” to “share footage and other information.”
Question: At what point does any of this feel concerning enough for you to self-educate and defend yourself?