A leaked document revealed that Waymo has a secret privacy policy that you might not want to experience. With the world leaning on the capabilities of autonomous driving, your car could spy on you everywhere, including your ride.
There have been recent reports that Waymo, Google's self-driving car unit, is experimenting with features that draw on rider information to feed AI systems and, in turn, target users with in-car ads.
Waymo's Secret Privacy Policy Leak Raises Concerns
Digital Trends recalled that a 2002 sci-fi film, "Minority Report," could be within our reach. Perhaps, whenever we feel safe inside our cars, this movie will remind us that we are actually not.
In the movie, Tom Cruise's character Agent John Anderton is being chased by personalized ads from American Express, Lexus, and other brands. That happens every time hidden detectors recognize his eyes.
Well, this is not impossible to happen nowadays since technology is moving quickly. In connection with this, online security researcher Jane Manchun Wong discovered what seems to be an unpublished privacy policy for Waymo.
The document suggests the company may start using interior camera video from its self-driving cars to train generative AI models—and potentially show targeted ads based on rider behavior and interests.
The leaked privacy policy reads:
"Waymo may share data to improve and analyze its functionality and to tailor products, services, ads, and offers to your interests. You can opt out of sharing your information with third parties unless it's necessary to the functioning of the service."
Waymo is working on Generative AI training using "interior camera data associated with rider's identity," provides opt-opts for this and data sharing under CCPA
— Jane Manchun Wong (@wongmjane) April 5, 2025
Waymo explicitly states in this unreleased Privacy page it may share your data for personalized ads pic.twitter.com/wDUu867Eh3
That language indicates there could be a change in what might happen to personal information, in this case, visual recordings from within the car. While Waymo's de facto spokesperson, Julia Ilina, spoke with The Verge, denying that the update was "placeholder text," the privacy community is already ringing alarms.
Ilina underlined that the AI models don't have any goal to spot individuals and that presently "no plans" are on the books to employ this data for advertising. And yet, because of how much "no plans" become actual features in the future, everybody remains suspicious.
How Waymo Uses Its Onboard Cameras Today
Waymo's robotaxis, which are already running in cities such as San Francisco, Los Angeles, Phoenix, and Austin, have interior cameras. Waymo says these are mostly utilized for retrieving lost items, ensuring passenger safety, monitoring rule compliance, and improving vehicle performance.
However, the concept of one day having such feeds, training personalization AI models is not too remote, given the existing infrastructure. Even if users are allowed to opt out of third-party data collection, according to Waymo, the amorphous terms are open to interpretation—and possible exploitation.
From Sci-Fi to Reality: Is Targeted Advertising Coming to Your Commute
The idea of real-time, behavior-driven advertising in the physical world used to be relegated to dystopian novels. Today, with internet-connected cars, smart devices, and AI-enabled integration, it's becoming a discomforting reality.
As more and more of our daily routines get digitized, the border between privacy and convenience keeps eroding.
Though Waymo denies any near-term plans to introduce ad-supported features, the revealed documents indicate that the foundation is being set. It's a reminder that the path to a hyper-connected future isn't paved only with innovation, but with ethical choices we haven't yet faced.
