Photo Credit: iStockA viral TikTok is putting an unsettling new spin on a familiar rite of passage: getting carded.Only this time, the "bouncer" was a driverless Waymo robotaxi asking a rider to prove she was old enough to be in the car alone.What happened?A TikTok by Addi (@ihaveahottake), showed a strange interruption during a Waymo ride. On-screen text said she was flagged for looking too young to be riding by herself, as Motor1 reported.AdvertisementAdvertisementIn the clip, a voice coming through the car's speaker asks, "Are you over the age of 18?" After Addi says yes, the representative follows up by asking whether she is the account holder. Once she confirms that she is, the ride continues.The interaction appears to reflect a Waymo policy, not a one-time glitch. Waymo says solo riders must be 18 or older, though riders in Phoenix who are 14 to 17 can use the service with a parent-linked teen account.As Waymo expands that program, riders have reported unexpected age checks during trips. The company provides over 250,000 paid trips each week in several major cities, with expansions to Miami and Washington, D.C., planned for 2026.Seema Amble, a partner at Andreessen Horowitz and a fellow Waymo passenger, posted on X, "Is this the new version of getting carded? Should I be flattered?"Why does it matter?An age check inside an autonomous car raises questions about what these vehicles are seeing, how that information is being used, and who can access it.AdvertisementAdvertisementWaymo vehicles use cameras both outside and inside the car. The exterior cameras help the robotaxi drive, while the interior cameras are framed as a customer-support feature. The company has received search warrants for vehicle footage, and some law enforcement requests may never be publicly disclosed because of gag orders.Each trip can generate a record of where a rider was picked up, where they were dropped off, and what happened inside the vehicle.What's being done?Waymo says it has policies to catch terms-of-service violations, including those of age-related rules, and that it is refining the system. Some of the extra checks appear to be tied to teen accounts and to distinguishing approved young riders from minors using adult accounts.Regulators and companies are still grappling with how to build systems that keep riders safe without intrusive monitoring. As autonomous taxis become more common, pressure will grow for clearer guardrails around video retention and law enforcement access.AdvertisementAdvertisement"Where there's a camera, it's just one court order away from being used against you in a court of law," Albert Fox Cahn, director of the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project, said to the Guardian, per Motor1.Get TCD's free newsletters for easy tips, smart advice, and a chance to earn $5,000 toward home upgrades. To see more stories like this one, change your Google preferences here.
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