It seems that the more convenience modern technology gives us, the more privacy it demands in return.
With everything from homes with internet-connected security cameras to every Tesla (TSLA) – Get a free report With multiple cameras facing outward, the modern person is recorded much more often than they probably realize.
Related: Here’s the good and bad news about Google’s huge privacy deal
Autonomous robots appear to be the wave of the future in the service industry as companies look for increasingly advanced ways to limit human interaction with their customers.
Uber ride-sharing service (UBER) – Get a free report has had a lot of success with its subsidiary Uber Eats, which allows people to order food from a seemingly endless list of restaurants from the comfort of their homes.
To further limit human interaction, Uber Eats partnered with Serve Robotics and its fleet of autonomous delivery robots to serve its customers in Los Angeles earlier this year.
Customers can order their meals through Uber Eats and track as normal, then watch in awe as a cooler-shaped drone delivers their order right to their door.
The automaton uses cameras as “eyes” to help it navigate its environment as the company says it is deploying “ai-powered” robots on the streets and sidewalks of Los Angeles.
Video captured by one of those cameras was used by the Los Angeles Police Department in case the company said it would result in a criminal conviction, according to a report based on emails obtained through the Freedom of Information Act. . request made by 404media.
Los Angeles police blocked efforts to learn more about the details of the case, and the law enforcement agency denied an incident report, but Serve Robotics provided police with camera footage of the robot “and a letter that confirms the cost of the robot,” according to an email. .
Serve Robots told 404media that the case in question involved the attempted theft of one of its delivery robots and was forced by subpoena to provide video evidence of the crime.
“In accordance with Serve’s privacy policy and relevant laws, the robot’s camera feed is routinely deleted unless there are compelling security concerns,” the company said.
Uber did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Serve Robot went on the offensive and posted the video in question earlier this week.
Reupload the video; Turns out you can’t cross post from Tiktok! pic.twitter.com/EeA9gF4mmG
—Ali Kashani (@ahkashani) September 28, 2023
But additional communications between the company and the LAPD suggest their partnership is just beginning, as the company contacted the department to stem the wave of vandalism against its robots (which allegedly They are not very popular in the neighborhoods in which they operate).
