Burglar Flees in Waymo After Stealing Yoga Gear in San Francisco

In January, a thief allegedly employed a Waymo vehicle to steal yoga attire in San Francisco, and law enforcement has not yet caught them.

This may come as a surprise considering the widespread concerns about Waymo vehicles and other robotaxis being viewed as extensive surveillance systems. However, this fascinating case, noted by the San Francisco Chronicle on Thursday, sheds light on how Waymo manages the footage collected by its vehicles.

Although Waymo does capture and store ride footage, the length of time this data is kept is unclear. What is evident from the report is that it had disappeared “by the time the search warrant was issued in April.” More intriguing is that authorities were unable to identify the thief through exterior camera images because they had been “blurred for privacy reasons.”

Furthermore, the Waymo account information seemingly provided minimal help. The thief allegedly took a Waymo ride to a yoga studio called Hot 8 Yoga, where they entered, stole the clothing, and reboarded the robotaxi, as evidenced by the studio’s own security footage. However, the Chronicle reported that the account information Waymo supplied to the police “didn’t lead to apprehending the suspect.”