Thanks to my questioning at a Feb. 4 Senate Commerce Committee hearing, the public was informed that Waymo, the autonomous vehicle firm, employs remote assistance operators to help its driverless cars navigate roads in certain situations and that many of these Waymo operators are located in the Philippines.
The Feb. 16 editorial “The long view of self-driving cars” suggested I care about this issue only because of autonomous vehicles’ impact on taxi, rideshare, transit and truck drivers. And I am concerned about the potential economic impact of wiping out millions of U.S. jobs with a technology that, unbeknownst to most of the public, relies on remote employees.
But as my oversight letters to seven autonomous vehicle companies made clear, I also have serious concerns about the safety, national security and privacy risks with Waymo or any other autonomous vehicle company employing overseas remote assistance operators.
The editorial, by contrast, waved away these “reasonable concerns” by stating that overseas operators don’t drive the car itself and instead merely provide guidance during rare or unexpected scenarios. But those scenarios are the ones that could involve life-or-death decisions in which the location, qualifications and training of a remote operator have the highest stakes.
I’m not looking for excuses to oppose self-driving cars. I’m looking for transparency from Big Tech companies experimenting without guardrails on our public roads.
Edward J. Markey, Washington
The writer, a Democrat, is a U.S. senator from Massachusetts.
Professional truck drivers operate the largest and most complex vehicles on our roads. Safety is foundational to our livelihoods. When industry groups like mine raise concerns about unproven, underregulated and unaccountable autonomous vehicles, we are working to ensure everyone on the road gets home safely.
Autonomous trucks have not yet demonstrated safe operation at scale in challenging, real-world conditions across diverse terrain, weather and traffic environments.
True transparency requires independent oversight and full public accountability. Beyond data transparency, autonomous trucks also introduce cybersecurity risks that demand clear federal safeguards. There is reason to worry about foreign adversaries having remote access to autonomous technology: Semitrucks have been used in ramming attacks abroad.
Federal agencies already require rigorous cybersecurity risk assessments, response plans and incident reporting across other transportation sectors. Autonomous trucking companies should be held to equally comprehensive and enforceable safety, reporting and cybersecurity standards.
Todd Spencer, Grain Valley, Missouri
The writer is president of the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association.
These grants shouldn’t have strings attached
Regarding the Feb. 21 news article “Want a federal museum grant? Applicants told to adhere to Trump’s vision.”:
The Institute of Museum Services was founded in 1977 because of the work of Sen. Claiborne Pell (D-Rhode Island) and his staff. When I became the IMS’s director in 1986 under President Ronald Reagan, we gave federal grants to museums across the country through a well-vetted and well-respected system of peer reviews. Our professionals across the country reviewed each grant application and made their recommendations.
Libraries were added to the IMS in 1996, making it the IMLS, but the process remained the same. Institutions submitted their applications, and they were evaluated to ensure that each grant was going to do the maximum good for that institution. We prided ourselves on the funds being used for basics such as general operating support and conservation.
There was never an agenda. As every museum and library professional knows, it is an enormous responsibility to care for what the public considers to be its national heritage. This country is one of the most diverse in the world, and it is incumbent upon every adult not only to understand the many facets of our cultural heritage but also to teach them to our youths.
To put “strings” on these grants is counter to everything our democracy represents.
Lois Burke Shepard, Easton
The writer is a former director of the Institute of Museum Services.
Plan better for snow days
I’m a public school parent in Montgomery County, and the extended school closures after snow events in the D.C. metro area have become a running joke that is no longer funny.
One could begin by criticizing the school systems’ lack of preparedness to address snow removal. One could highlight the irony of school superintendents producing slick snow day announcement videos while also preaching that students need to be in school to learn.
Instead, let us focus on what we can do to ensure students can be in school. We should create a schedule that minimizes disruption and maximizes the likelihood that children can and will come to school, especially for the first half of the year. MCPS has 17 weeks of school before the week of Christmas, and only nine of them are full, five-day weeks of instruction. That creates a culture that does not appear to value attendance, and frontloading so many days off early in the year increases the pressure put on learning during the months most likely to have weather closures. Schools must also be honest about the reality of “extra” days tacked onto the end of the school year — not much learning takes place in the third week of June. Minimize “added days” by maximizing early ones.
Schools should also design virtual learning contingencies for extended closures, especially for high school. MCPS has already invested in computers for every student, so we have the capacity to have synchronous online learning. We need to use it.
As for snowstorms, We cannot stop the weather or an act of God. But, I was taught, God helps those who help themselves. Let’s fix what is in our control.
Shana Young, Silver Spring
The writer is a former chief of staff at the D.C. Office of the State Superintendent of Education.
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