Waymo Secures Temporary Block on Release of Driverless Vehicle Data
A California judge grants Waymo a 22-day restraining order to keep autonomous vehicle operations data hidden from the public. The company fights to permanently protect trade secrets from a public records request.
Waymo achieves a brief legal victory as a California judge issues a temporary restraining order that allows the company to keep specific driverless vehicle data secret for another 22 days. The Alphabet-owned company files a lawsuit against the California Department of Motor Vehicles to prevent the public release of redacted information from its autonomous vehicle deployment permit and related emails.
The legal battle stems from a public records request submitted by an undisclosed third party. After the DMV invites Waymo to black out sections that might reveal trade secrets, the requester challenges the redactions, prompting the DMV to tell Waymo it must release the information unless a court intervenes. The DMV does not oppose the temporary restraining order, showing that the agency prefers to let the courts decide the outcome rather than take a side.
Waymo seeks permanent injunctive relief to protect sensitive details about how its autonomous vehicles identify and navigate through various conditions. The company also wants to hide information about how its system determines when to hand control back to a human driver, when to provide fleet support, and how it handles disengagement and collision incidents. A hearing on February 22 will determine if this information remains redacted from public view in perpetuity.