**Waymo's Autonomous Taxis Controlled by Overseas Workers, Raising Safety Concerns**

As the autonomous ride-hailing service market continues to gain traction, a recent Congressional hearing has shed light on a surprising revelation: Waymo's self-driving taxis are being controlled by workers in the Philippines. The admission has sparked concerns over public safety and cybersecurity vulnerabilities.

Waymo's chief safety officer, Mauricio Peña, was questioned about the company's reliance on overseas operators during the hearing. He explained that while some operators live in the US, others are based far away, including in the Philippines. These workers provide "guidance" to the vehicles, but do not remotely drive them. However, as Senator Ed Markey (D-MA) pointed out, this raises serious safety concerns.

"Having people overseas influencing American vehicles is a safety issue," Markey argued. "The information they receive could be outdated, introducing tremendous cybersecurity vulnerabilities." He also expressed concern that these operators may not have US driver's licenses, adding another layer of risk to the equation.

Waymo responded to these concerns in a statement, saying that its fleet response teams are located both in the US and abroad. They undergo rigorous background checks, evaluations, and screenings for drug use. However, as Markey noted, this does little to address the underlying issue: relying on overseas workers to control American vehicles.

The reliance on human operators is not unique to Waymo. Tesla's VP of vehicle engineering, Lars Moravy, revealed that his company also uses similar remote operators. He assured lawmakers that their system has multiple layers of security and actively participates in hacking events to test its defenses.

However, the recent data suggests that even with human monitors, Tesla's robotaxis are crashing three times as much as humans. Adding an overseas operator to the mix raises the risk of disaster. "Overseas remote assistance operations may be more susceptible to physical takeover by hostile actors," Markey warned, "potentially granting them driver-like control of thousands of vehicles transporting passengers on American roads."

The implications are alarming: a remote operator could take control of multiple vehicles, posing a significant threat to public safety. As lawmakers continue to grapple with the risks of autonomous vehicles, this revelation highlights the need for greater scrutiny and regulation.

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