New York Governor Kathy Hochul has been slow to respond, but Waymo’s plans to expand into the state have faced obstacles. The company is presently restricted to New York City and has not moved beyond that area.
Waymo isn’t merely deploying driverless vehicles; its robotaxis function as sophisticated data-gathering tools. They map out infrastructures, identify individuals, capture sounds in the environment, and track movement trends throughout the city. Unlike traditional security cameras or apps that can be disabled, these cars navigate freely, quietly gathering vast amounts of information wherever they travel—night and day.
There’s no easy way to overlook the implications of Waymo’s collaboration with Zeekr, a Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer with connections to the Chinese Communist Party. Zeekr, part of Geely Automobile—one of China’s major automotive firms—operates under the purview of the Chinese government. It’s concerning that, under national security laws, companies could be compelled to provide data to the state without any opportunity for appeal.
Zeekr is now interconnected with Western supply chains and urban infrastructure. This company has stakes in well-known brands like Volvo and Polestar and has received substantial backing from various funds. Additionally, its operations benefit from subsidies attributed to the policies of the Chinese Communist Party, leading to inflated sales within a foggy ecosystem where private business and state interests intertwine.
Under the Surface
When Waymo’s partnership with Zeekr attracted scrutiny, the response was to neatly sidestep the security concerns. Instead of addressing these directly, Waymo chose to rebrand its vehicles and eliminate mentions of Zeekr from its marketing. According to TechCrunch’s reports, the rationale was that the Zeekr brand wasn’t well-known in the U.S. It might also be wise to distance from the Chinese association, even if the vehicle specifications and supply chains remained unchanged. It amounted to simply a name change.
But the push for technological dominance from China hasn’t gone unnoticed. Huawei made strides into Western telecommunications until governments recognized the issue. Meanwhile, TikTok collected user data for years, all while its core operations were still tied to Beijing. The methodology is quite clear: infiltrate early, expand rapidly, and extract constantly.
Waymo’s robotaxis represent just another phase of this plan. Senator Elissa Slotkin, who has experience in U.S. intelligence, has voiced concerns regarding the implications of Chinese autonomous vehicles on American roads, suggesting that the data collected could be put to troubling uses.
Potential Risks
The dangers of these vehicles transcend the risk they pose to pedestrians. A recent incident saw a Waymo car strike a child in Santa Monica, drawing attention to a troubling technical flaw that the industry seems eager to overlook. In the absence of a human driver, there’s no capacity for instinctive reactions during emergencies.
Proponents of robotaxis argue that removing people from driving roles could notably decrease overall accident rates—a rationale that might seem appealing at first. However, one might wonder, what happens to that idyllic scenario when control shifts from Americans to a foreign entity? The tragedy of a child struck by an autonomous vehicle is grave, yet a foreign government having unfettered access to data about U.S. citizens and infrastructure is a far greater national security issue, especially when such technologies are adorned with the Waymo logo.
Why compromise American surveillance when you could simply collect data as you drive? The idea of allowing vehicles developed by companies with direct ties to Beijing on American streets appears extraordinarily misguided. Worst-case scenarios point towards a new level of espionage that resembles Cold War tactics, uniquely benefiting China.
Could Tesla Lead the Way?
While Waymo attempts to obscure its partnerships and their implications, Elon Musk has announced plans for Tesla’s CyberCab, priced under $30,000, with American design and manufacturing free of Chinese influence. This transition to autonomy need not come at the cost of letting foreign powers infiltrate American systems. For the U.S. to maintain its standing as a global leader, it may need to reconsider collaborations with countries that jeopardize its surveillance integrity.
Regrettably, New York isn’t the only state taking a casual approach to this issue; California is equally eager to welcome Waymo, seemingly indifferent about the underlying complexities of the technology. The two largest states in the U.S. are prepared to embrace fleets from companies catering to foreign interests. Both may need to rethink their strategy and demand transparent details about the hardware, software, data practices, and other underlying elements of these vehicles.
The challenges posed by this technology aren’t straightforward. The vehicles may boast five-star ratings and quick response times, but that doesn’t alter the significant importance of what lies beneath the surface.
