Link: https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2026-09-12/juveniles-riding-in-waymo-arrested-after-police-find-ghost-gun

This wasn’t the first time Waymo has tattled on alleged troublemakers. In July, Waymo contacted the San Mateo Police Department after two teens were found drinking alcohol and shooting toy guns in the back of a car, authorities said at the time.

"Out of the car and on the ground, Citizen! Your Waymo has reported you are in possession of 'Wage Labor And Capital'."

That’s the future people. Not flying cars over rainbows but self-driving prisons in dystopia.

So the goal will be to get in these fucking things and just start making wild claims. And when they pull over and arrest you then you sue for freedom of speech and eavesdropping laws. Have what you said typed out and claim its practice for a play or speech.

I would suggest people read the article. Their is no way in hell an Taxi/Uber driver would be ok with kids bringing a "Loaded AR Style Assault Rifle" into their car.

No Taxi/Uber driver would pull over and lock the kids in while calling the cops either.

I would suggest an article that uses the phrase "loaded, AR-style assault rifle" with "ghost gun" in the headline is more concerned with making the situation sound scary than reporting facts and is probably not worth reading anyway.

It seems like a pretty weird outlier event in which the worst thing did not happen.

I would want anyone on the street to report children going around with that gun. Call me crazy.

I agree the headline and article don't match. The ghost gun part is actually confusing. Waymo had no way of knowing if it was a ghost gun.

Yes, and, the precedent it sets is scary. What if a waymo camera spots what it thinks is a bag of weed in your pocket in Texas and calls the cops while locking you in? Isn't that false imprisonment or kidnapping? No private citizen or company has the right to retain someone else against their will.

I agree with that for the most part.

I'm not sure if being children has another layer to it in this case. To a point, school are not accused of false imprisonment if they "detained" a misbehaving child in detention. It is not obvious to me Waymo did something illegal or immortal.

But overall I agree we should pay attention and the same facts with an 18 year old would probably be different (gun probably legal, ect).

Schools aren't because parents give them a right to care for the children involved. It doesn't work that way in a waymo. You can be prevented from leaving a school because from a specific time to a specific time your parents have agreed you will be on the premesis in the care of the faculty.

That's more because children are minors, and the parents who are ultimately responsible for the conduct of their children agree to the forms of punishment the school uses. A school can't detain a child indefinitely if a parent shows up to take them home.

Tech people are colluding with the government and the government is currently in the business of stealing tax payer money through private prisons. Everyone needs to stop using their products for their own safety.

4th amendment violation

Probably wouldnt have made it into the taxi in the first place. Does ghost gun mean unregistered in this instance?

No private citizen or company has the right to retain someone else against their will.

Don't you have something called "citizen's arrest" in the US? Like when a shop employee catches a thief, they're allowed to detain them until the cops show up?

That's unlawful forcable detainment and kidnapping, I'm pressing charges and a suit on the Waymo CEO if I'm those kids.

Kind of, but also False Imprisonment is illegal and this is that.

An AI camera in a self driving car is absolutely not a citizen, so therefore cannot do a citizens arrest, even if this fits into that definition.

“Am I free to go?” is one of the lawyer-suggested phrases you give when a cop pulls you over (that and exercising your right to remain silent). So in this case, you can ask all you want, no cop is even present, but a robotaxi run by a corporation can apparently detain you and I guarantee it’s somehow considered perfectly legal because it’s in some fine print. Fucking unbelievably clear collusion between the state and capitalists, while also being a violation of constitutional rights. The robotaxi is acting as judge and jury, while not even being able to solidly prove what’s happening.

Waymo goes out of its way to tell you that there are no microphones to comply with privacy laws, but you are being filmed.

The article suggests that the kids had the guns out in plain view. The police found several guns, including a loaded assault rifle when they searched.

ACAB, but I am not mad that the children had their black market guns taken away.

Oh no, I don't think this fits into the definition, it's just that the statement I quoted seemed strange. And the company would probably argue it's a citizen's arrest if this ever went to court.

Imagine my disappointment that this isn't some X-Files shit

And the parents made zero agreements with Waymo before putting their kids in one? Sounds pretty unlikely.

Depends on if Waymo allowed teens (who can sign up for their own accounts and can have debit cards) to sign up without parental consent. If a parent or guardian ordered the Waymo for them? Probably an agreement for that.

Otherwise though, it's just as likely they entered into no such agreement.

Of course, they also didn't agree with allow their children to be trapped in the Waymo against their will. Show me that fine print in any ride share service's TOS/EULA etc. I would love to see it.