Waymo Wins Temporary Block Against Release of Driverless Vehicle Data
A California judge grants Waymo a 22-day restraining order to keep autonomous vehicle safety details hidden from public records. The court will decide next month if the company can permanently redact the information.
Waymo earns a temporary victory in its legal battle to keep specific autonomous vehicle operations data private. A California judge issues a temporary restraining order that gives the Alphabet-owned company 22 additional days to avoid handing over redacted information from its driverless deployment permit to a third-party requester. The California DMV does not oppose this temporary block, essentially pushing the final decision into the hands of the court system.
The legal conflict starts when an undisclosed third party files a public records request for Waymo's permit application. Following standard procedure, the DMV invites Waymo to black out sections that reveal trade secrets, prompting the company to heavily censor both its own answers and the DMV's follow-up questions. When the requester challenges these blackouts, the DMV informs Waymo that it must release the unredacted information unless a judge intervenes to stop the disclosure.
Through its lawsuit, Waymo seeks permanent injunctive relief to keep these details hidden from the public indefinitely. The company wants to protect sensitive data regarding how its vehicles identify and navigate complex conditions, determine when to hand control back to a human driver, and handle collision or disengagement incidents. A hearing on February 22 will determine if Waymo successfully shields this operational technology from public view forever.