Erick the Architect is a founding member of, and the primary producer for, the legendary Flatbush Zombies. He’s toured the world, performed on Kimmel and Fallon, played Coachella, and collaborated with everyone from Joey Bada$$ and the Rza to James Blake and hardcore punk band Trash Talk. But perhaps the most unexpected collab was with Apple, when Erick popped up following Tim Cook’s final WWDC presentation to rap about apps. That was just a precursor to him dropping his new disco and reggae-tinged single, “No Doubt (I’m In Love).”
Technology
How to stop phone number spoofing and protect yourself from scammers
Tired of getting random calls from strangers, wondering whether or not it’s something to be concerned about?
What about when a person calls saying they’ve got a missed phone call from your number?
Or, how about when you see a phone number that looks familiar (perhaps has the same area code), but when you answer, it’s a telemarketer or someone trying to sell you something?
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Woman on her cellphone (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
What is going on here?
Phone spoofing, also known as phone number spoofing, is a deceptive practice that scammers use to trick you into answering their calls. By using software or devices, they can make any number appear on the caller ID, even if it belongs to someone else. This can cause problems for both the owner of the spoofed number and the potential victims of the scam.
WHAT IS ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI)?
Here’s what you need to know about phone spoofing and how to stop it so that you can protect yourself (and others) from scammers.
Woman on a cellphone at a laptop (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
MORE: HOW TO STAY INCOGNITO AND CONCEAL YOUR NUMBER WHEN CALLING SOMEONE
What is phone number spoofing?
Phone spoofing is when scammers get control of your phone number. They can then use your phone number to steal your data or use it to target other people. Instead of a strange phone number or company coming up in your caller ID, they can pass through scam detection by posing as a number you may recognize. This is known as “neighbor spoofing” because scammers will target people within the same — or nearby — area code, which people are less likely to ignore.
But phone number spoofing can be even more sophisticated. Sometimes scammers can spoof the phone numbers of banks, government agencies, police departments, corporations and more. And when most people see those names come up on their caller ID, they generally feel like it’s important or at least an organization they trust, prompting them to answer and not even think twice about who may be on the other line.
Man frustrated by caller (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
MORE: HOW SCAMMERS USE GOOGLE VERIFICATION CODES TO STEAL YOUR IDENTITY AND MONEY
What are scammers doing with my phone number?
Once scammers get their hands on your phone number, they can do all sorts of things. In one scenario, they may target you and say you owe a bill for something, prompting you to give up sensitive data about yourself.
In more serious scenarios, they can call your phone and tell you they have your friend or family member who’s in danger and that they need you to send money right away. And with AI voice technology that can replicate voices, this is becoming an even scarier reality. Other times, they use your spoofed number against you, committing identity theft as they’ll have access to your number to get through to your accounts.
Woman stressed out on the phone (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
MORE: TIPS TO FOLLOW FROM ONE INCREDIBLY COSTLY CONVERSATION WITH CYBERCROOKS
How to stop phone number spoofing: When your phone number is spoofed to harm others
If you have a feeling that your phone number has been spoofed, there are some things you can do to stop the situation from getting out of hand.
Step 1: Determine if your phone number has been spoofed
One of the best ways to know that your number has been spoofed is if you’re getting lots of calls from people who tell you they’ve received a missed call or phone call from your number. If you don’t know them and you check your call history to see you’ve never called their number, there’s a good chance that your number has been spoofed and was used to try and trick them.
Step 2: Find out how these scammers hijacked your phone number in the first place
Your number may have been leaked in a data breach. Or you may have your number public somewhere online. You may have answered a spam call accidentally in the past. Or you may have permitted a company to sell your phone number (this is more common with telemarketers). At the same time, data brokers could be intentionally looking for this information, and they’re good at finding it. Next, they hijack your number. They physically do this by:
Port-out method: Once hijackers get your phone number via one of the methods above (in addition to other personal information), they contact your mobile carrier and pose as the account holder, aka you. Once they get in, they request a “port-out” of the phone number, which is when they ask the carrier to transfer your phone number to a new carrier or account. Generally, phone companies should see this as a red flag and ask follow-up questions, but savvy scammers can get around this. Once the port-out is approved, the phone number is activated on their new SIM card and they have total control.
SIM-swap method: This is when a phone spoofer convinces the mobile service provider to issue a new SIM card with your phone number. All they need to do is pop the SIM card into their device to get the same access as the port-out method.
Stealing your physical phone: One of the most straightforward ways to hijack your number is one of the most simple: stealing your mobile device and gaining access to it.
Remember, once they have control of your phone number, they may use it to commit identity theft against you, not just as a phone spoof to harm others.
Woman on a phone call (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
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Step 3: Follow these steps if your phone number has already been spoofed
Even if your phone has been “hijacked,” you can still do something about it. Here’s how:
Apologize to the victims: If people start calling you to let you know they’ve received a scam call from your number, apologize to them right away and let them know that your phone number has been spoofed and that it’s being used to target them. This can help them decide what to do next (which we’ll cover later).
Create a voicemail message: If you’re getting a lot of these calls nonstop, you might want to change your voicemail message to let them know what’s happening. This essentially automates the process, and you don’t need to spend your day answering the phone either.
Notify your mobile carrier: Call your mobile carrier to let them know that you’re confident your phone number has been spoofed. They can help you take the next steps to stop it in its tracks.
Change your phone number: Whether or not your mobile carrier advises you to do so, it might be a good idea to consider changing your phone number. It may not stop scammers from using it to victimize others, but it will help you to stop getting notifications.
Step 4: Prevent scammers from spoofing your phone number in the future
If you end up changing your phone number, you’ll want to be sure that you can prevent scammers from taking your number in the future. Here are a few things you can do:
Don’t publicize your phone number online: Don’t ever provide your phone number to strangers or make it easy for them to get your phone number via a verification scam. Additionally, if you’re creating an account for a new website, and they ask about your phone number, try to avoid giving it. It may be difficult with a bank, for instance, which may use your phone number to verify your identity. But if you can avoid giving your phone number, then you should.
Use a data removal service: There are so many websites that can potentially have your data because you may have unknowingly permitted them to do so. By using a data removal service, you can get your number offline.
While no service promises to remove all your data from the internet, having a removal service is great if you want to constantly monitor and automate the process of removing your information from hundreds of sites continuously over a longer period of time. Check out my top picks for personal data removal services here.
Update passwords on your phone: It may go without saying, but make sure your phone’s passwords are updated. You’ll want to create a strong password for your phone and avoid using the same password for multiple online accounts. Consider using a password manager to securely store and generate complex passwords. It will help you to create unique and difficult-to-crack passwords that a hacker could never guess. Also, enable a PIN or biometrics to get into your phone. This is so that if someone steals your phone, they can’t get access to your information.
Man on a phone call (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
Stay calm and steer clear: If you have any hunch that you are being scammed, stay calm, don’t panic and immediately hang up the phone. You can also try another tactic, which is asking the spammer a lot of questions to catch them off guard. Sometimes they’ll realize you’ve set them in a trap and will hang up the phone themselves.
Ultimately — no matter how convincing or familiar the story or phone number is — you want to be sure that you aren’t giving any sensitive data or money to these people. If someone is saying you owe a bill, tell them you will call your bank and get back to them. Even if they already know some of your personal information, do not comply. If it’s legitimate, they’ll understand that you need to double-check.
Alert the appropriate parties: Even if you recognize it’s a scam, sometimes these people are relentless. So, if they continue to call you and harass you nonstop (and it’s from the same number), you have some options:
- Notify your mobile carrier: Let them know that you’re confident your phone number has been spoofed. They can help you take the next steps to stop it in its tracks.
- Notify the FCC: The Federal Communications Commission is the relevant party you’ll want to contact if you continue to get scam calls, whether they are from phone spoofers or robocalls and telemarketers. You can file a complaint here.
- Notify the FTC: If you’ve already, unfortunately, fallen victim to a scam, you can report it to the Federal Trade Commission, here.
Don’t get spammed again: You’ve probably noticed that when you get a call on your phone, it will say “scam likely” in red, prompting you to ignore it. Cellphones these days are pretty good at detecting calls from scammers. This makes it more challenging for scammers to do their dirty work. So, they need another strategy to get around it, which is why they phone spoof. But you can outsmart them, even when they use a familiar-looking number:
- Use a spam blocker to keep scammers at bay: To keep spammers and scammers away, install a spam blocker on your phone. Many phone carriers already have this service on the phone (as mentioned above), but there are additional apps you can put on your phone as an extra layer of security, like Truecaller.
- Block the number on your phone: Depending on what type of phone you have, you can block the actual number from contacting you again. However, keep in mind that phone number spoofers are savvy and are difficult to keep up with. This method is better if it’s a specific number that keeps trying to contact you.
- Block robocalls with apps: Sometimes spammers are robots utilized by telemarketers. Some of those scam-blocking apps work against robocalls. But you can also register your number on the national “Do Not Call Registry” to stop them. You can do this by calling 1-888-382-1222 or visiting www.donotcall.gov/.
- Utilize data removal services: If you want robots and other spammers/scammers to stop calling your phone number altogether, some apps and services can help you find and remove your data wherever it is on the Internet. These can also be used to protect yourself against phone spoofing.
MORE: HOW TO BLOCK THOSE UNWANTED AND ANNOYING SPAM EMAILS
Kurt’s key takeaways
While phones may have gotten better at blocking spam calls, scammers will stop at nothing to try and trick you. This is why phone spoofing is a good idea for them; they have a much better chance of getting through spam blockers and connecting with you because you may think it’s safe to answer the phone.
We won’t even be able to stop these scammers 100%. But by knowing what to do if your phone number has been hijacked or you’re being targeted by someone else’s phone number who has been spoofed, you can do your part in making sure these people know we’re onto them.
Have you ever had your phone number spoofed? Or have you ever picked up the phone because you recognized the area code, only to realize it was a potential scam? How did you handle it? Let us know by writing us at Cyberguy.com/Contact.
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The new track, produced by Yeti Beats and Federico Vindver, is definitely a shift in tone from the darker, grittier, more boom-bap-grounded sounds Erick is known for. But that’s part of what makes it so compelling. Erick is still looking to experiment and expand his palette this deep into his career. That sense of adventure doesn’t stop him from getting a bit nostalgic for physical phone keyboards and the GameCube, though. It also turns out that Erick was one of just a handful of unfortunate souls who spent their hard-earned money on the Nokia N-Gage.
What is your most indispensable tool?
A moleskine book and a pen.
What is the first app you install on a new phone or computer?
I usually go for Dropbox first so I can pull up the thousands of files I have stored floating around on the internet somewhere.
What is one thing you wish you could change about your phone?
I miss typing on my phone with a physical keyboard like I used to do using a BlackBerry.
What sites do you have pinned to your tab bar?
ESPN, Behance, MyFonts, Fanatics, Topps, eBay, Discord, UPS, FedEx, Whatnot, Plex
How many tabs do you have open right now?
What is your happy place online?
Uh… the screen that says “Your order has been placed” when you buy something online
What is your favorite gadget you’ve ever owned?
Which was the most disappointing?
What game do you have the fondest memories of?
Resident Evil 4 for GameCube. I played this game so many times until my eyes were bloodshot red, and my fondest memory was the huge TV that I played it on. The TVs back then were so big they were actually pieces of furniture. When it came time to move it, you needed like four people to lift up those big tube TVs. Anyhow, I love that game, and I think I’m probably one of the best people at it!
Which tech trend do you wish would go away?
I’m not really a fan of virtual reality and putting things over my eyes to augment my reality… sorry to anyone who is obsessed with those things!
What is one thing you wish you had created?
I wish I had created the song “Bohemian Rhapsody.” It’s such a ridiculous song in the most beautiful way. I can’t compare it to any other piece of music. If I did, I’d have to reference a ton of different songs to make this one. I think if I were the creator of it, people would have no idea what song to expect from me, and that’s pretty cool.
What creation are you most proud of?
If I had a child, my answer would be that — but since I don’t, I would have to say the project I released in 2011 called “Almost Remembered.” It was the catalyst for all of the music I eventually learned how to create, and it gave me the confidence to continue to pursue being a producer and artist. I considered myself an amateur back then, but it was the most creative I’ve felt to date in terms of experimenting with new sounds.
Which are you least proud of?
I don’t want anyone to google the name of the thing I am least proud of hahaha
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
My mom told me that everybody has a season, and although it may not be your season now… You have to consider that when it is, that season may last forever. Be patient and wait on it.
What is your current obsession?
What do you do when you need to focus?
Turn my phone off or pretend I don’t have one anymore.
What do you do when you’re feeling stuck?
Again, turn my phone off or pretend I don’t have one anymore.
When was the last time you went somewhere without your phone?
I take walks without my phone all the time, and I use my digital audio player that isn’t connected to the internet whatsoever. I can focus on the music entirely and not be distracted by incoming texts, emails, or social media.
What’s the last piece of physical media you bought?
I bought a bunch of records at VinylCon! a couple of months ago, and I’ve been collecting Absolute Batman and Invincible comics.
What do you think is worth splurging on?
Food and anything you like to collect.
What would the tagline for your biopic be?
“The man with too much on his mind.”
What’s the last GIF or meme you used?
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It’s a big year for America. It’s the semiquincentennial, otherwise known as America250, and the United States is cohosting the World Cup. But spectators at these events — and the millions of people who live in the cities hosting them — may not realize that they, too, are being watched.
From Kansas City to New York, the US cities hosting the World Cup have been ramping up their surveillance capabilities in the months leading up to the tournament. Security measures are at an all-time high in Washington, DC, which isn’t hosting the World Cup, but is home to a series of spectacles this summer. The Fourth of July festivities in the nation’s capital will have an unprecedented level of surveillance. Law enforcement agencies say they can’t take any risks during these once-in-a-lifetime events — but privacy advocates warn that some of this surveillance won’t be limited to this summer’s celebrations.
Both the Fourth of July fireworks on the National Mall and the July 19th World Cup final in New Jersey have been designated National Special Security Events (NSSE) by the Department of Homeland Security, the most stringent security designation the agency gives. This isn’t unusual for major sporting events — the Super Bowl is always given an NSSE designation — but it’s a first for the Fourth of July. The UFC fight at the White House in June was also an NSSE, as was the official UFC watch party on the Ellipse.
Attendees at the Fourth of July fireworks show on the National Mall will have to pass through airport-style security checkpoints and won’t be allowed to bring folding chairs or coolers. Counter-drone measures will be in place, The Washington Post reports, as will bomb technicians, countersnipers, and medical personnel from several federal agencies. While attendees will notice these security measures, others could be close to invisible — including camera networks that track their biometrics.
The measures at the National Mall appear to be a response to criticisms of lax security at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, which was infiltrated by a gunman who allegedly shot at a Secret Service agent.
There will be similar measures in place at the World Cup final, which Donald Trump is expected to attend — and where he will reportedly present the trophy to the winning team.
“This is going to be security-o-rama regardless of whether the president goes,” Jules Boykoff, author of Red Card: The 2026 World Cup, Sportswashing, and the FIFA Greed Machine, told The Verge. “If the president goes, that’s just an extra lacquering of security.”
Boykoff, a professor of political science at Pacific University, said there may be an increased ICE presence at the World Cup final as well, and pointed out that ICE arrested rapper 21 Savage at the 2019 Super Bowl — another NSSE — claiming he overstayed his visa.
Anne Toomey McKenna, an attorney who specializes in privacy and biometric surveillance, said the NSSE declaration may also make it easier to justify collecting communications data under the looser standard of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, instead of the more stringer requirements of the Wiretap Act.
Andrew Giuliani, executive director of the White House task force for the World Cup — and son of Rudy Giuliani — has said there will be heightened security at all the World Cup matches, even the ones Trump doesn’t attend. “You’ll have multiple perimeter checks from security. You’ll have checks while you get onto public transportation to make sure you’re a valid ticket holder,” Giuliani told the Atlantic Council’s Frederick Kempe. “Soccer fans — or futból fans — they generally like to come to stadiums late, in the 15, 20 minutes or so before the game.” But Giuliani said ticket holders should know that gates open three hours before kickoff and plan to arrive early so they don’t miss kickoff.
The surveillance isn’t limited to one-off events and in fact involves building up a massive apparatus across the country. Through FEMA, the Department of Homeland Security gave $250 million in grants to states that are hosting World Cup matches, much of which was used to buy counter-drone equipment, according to The New York Times. The FBI has also been training local law enforcement agencies on drone mitigation. According to Giuliani, the Fan Fests in all 11 host cities will be covered by counter-drone technology. It’s unclear whether these cities are using the same tech that led to an airspace closure in El Paso earlier this year.
This is going to be security-o-rama regardless of whether the president goes.
New York City — technically one of the host cities, even though the matches are taking place across the river in New Jersey — spent $6.5 million on counter-drone technology. In Kansas City, Missouri, authorities have confiscated at least 16 drones since the World Cup began.
“The general rule with the World Cup and Olympics is that local and national police forces use the sports mega event like their own private cash machine,” Boykoff said. “The World Cup creates a state of exception that allows for all manner of securitization processes.” And in many cases, once these tools are in place, they remain. Paris, for example, enabled AI video surveillance ahead of the 2024 Olympics — and is keeping it in place through the end of 2027 despite privacy concerns.
Similar camera systems have been installed throughout the US ahead of the World Cup, even in areas far beyond stadiums. Kansas City also planned on putting cameras equipped with facial recognition on some city buses, even though the state government refused to fund the project over privacy concerns. The city initially went through with the program anyway, saying it would help identify missing persons and could thwart human trafficking attempts during a major international sporting event. City officials said that the images captured are checked against active missing persons alerts and only retained if there’s a match.
“Privacy is always a tricky thing,” Tyler Means, chief mobility and strategy officer at Kansas City Area Transportation Authority, told The Washington Post. “We’ve always had cameras on our buses. It’s just new technology. I think in time it’ll smooth over and people will realize, ‘Well, it didn’t really feel any different.’”
The cameras aren’t operational yet because of backlash and technical delays, but Kansas City plans on implementing the program later this year — even though the World Cup will be over by then.
The America250 celebrations will be monitored by thousands of law enforcement officers, including National Guard troops and FBI agents, many of whom will be wearing body cameras. Several cities have expanded or reactivated CCTV systems ahead of the World Cup. Seattle reportedly reactivated dormant cameras after FBI and Seattle Police Department officials briefed the mayor on “credible threats” during the games.
McKenna said the increase in surveillance at these events isn’t unwarranted given the increased level of risk, but said there’s an issue with how biometric data is gathered and retained. McKenna noted that British Columbia, which is also hosting the World Cup, has regulations around how long surveillance footage from matches and other events can be retained — rules the US lacks.
Though CCTV has been around for decades, advances in camera technology — and AI integrations — have made these systems incredibly sophisticated. Early footage “told us a lot about what was happening, but it really wasn’t that different from what a police officer standing on the street could see themselves,” McKenna said. “That’s how the law in the US reached the conclusion that CCTV systems are okay — because it happens in a public space, so there’s no real reasonable expectation of privacy risk under the Fourth Amendment, which protects against unreasonable searches and seizures.”
But cameras reach much farther than they used to — they can tilt, pan, or zoom, and can often see several miles away. They can be equipped with thermal imaging devices and facial recognition technology, all of which may be accessible to law enforcement. Some AI software can even analyze people’s facial expressions and claim to predict a person’s behavior, McKenna said.
“We have increasingly advancing AI systems with analytical capabilities that can merge so much data and detect things from the footage that before we wouldn’t know,” McKenna said. “An officer on the street wouldn’t be able to identify every person walking by, but facial recognition technology software is very common, and it can be utilized together with the footage that is being taken and collected by CCTV systems.”
All of this information can be sent to federal fusion centers, where information is shared between local law enforcement and federal agencies like ICE and the FBI. McKenna explained that when there’s more information-sharing between local law enforcement and federal security agencies, “we lose control over how that information is used.”
“That’s part of the protection we’re supposed to have under our laws — that information that’s been collected for national security purposes not be used for domestic law enforcement purposes,” McKenna said. “We have increasingly seen a blurring of national security measures becoming part of domestic law enforcement.”
There are still a couple weeks left in the World Cup. But there’s no telling how long all the surveillance data gathered around the matches will be stored, or how it will be used.
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Empty Waymo vehicles swarm Atlanta neighborhood
Atlanta residents captured alarming video of dozens of Waymo driverless cars continually circling their quiet neighborhood for hours. Tech expert Kurt Knutsson warns this ‘AI takeover’ raises significant safety concerns, especially for children, highlighting a critical lack of human intervention and company accountability from Waymo regarding these autonomous vehicles and potential glitches.
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Zoox has a new version of its robotaxi, and yes, it still looks like something that rolled in from the future. The Amazon-owned company has updated its custom-built electric robotaxi with new comfort and usability upgrades. The vehicle still has no steering wheel or pedals, and it can still drive in either direction. However, Zoox now wants the inside to feel less like a tech demo and more like a ride you might actually relax in.
That is a big shift. Once robotaxis move beyond early testers and start picking up more riders, small things suddenly become important. A stiff seat, a sliding phone or a cupholder that cannot handle your giant iced coffee can turn a futuristic ride into an annoying one fast. Zoox says the new updates came from testing, early deployments and feedback from half a million riders. In other words, this robotaxi makeover seems designed for the people sitting inside, not the engineers admiring it from the curb.
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WOULD YOU RIDE IN WAYMO’S NEW OJAI ROBOTAXI?
Zoox’s updated robotaxi keeps its steering-wheel-free design while adding rider-focused upgrades inside and out. (Zoox)
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What Zoox changed inside its robotaxi
The biggest changes are inside the cabin. Zoox added more padding and ergonomic curves to the seats and headrests. That should help make the ride feel more comfortable, especially if you hit rough pavement or sit in the vehicle for more than a quick hop across town. The company also updated the color, materials and finish. The new interior uses aloe-green seating with stone-grey flooring and trim. Zoox says the lighter palette creates a calmer cabin.
There is another everyday benefit, too. A lighter interior can make it easier to spot your phone, keys or wallet before the vehicle pulls away. Anyone who has ever left something in the back seat of a rideshare knows how stressful that moment can be. Zoox also added fluting to the wireless charging pad to help keep phones in place. The cupholders are larger. The touchscreen is easier to see. None of that sounds dramatic, but those details become important when a vehicle may eventually shuttle lots of people a day.
The Zoox robotaxi still has no steering wheel
The core Zoox design has not changed. CyberGuy previously reported on Zoox’s first public-road robotaxi milestone back in 2023, when the company’s autonomous vehicle carried passengers in Foster City, California. This is still a purpose-built autonomous vehicle, not a regular car with self-driving software added later. There is no driver’s seat, steering wheel or traditional controls.
The vehicle has carriage-style seating for four people, with passengers facing each other. It also has a moonroof, starry night lighting and a sensor setup that includes cameras, radar, lidar and long-wave infrared sensors.
The robotaxi can drive bidirectionally, which means it does not need to turn around the way a normal car does. It also uses four-wheel steering and can travel at speeds of up to 75 miles per hour. That design is the whole point of Zoox. The company wants a robotaxi built around riders from the start. Still, that also makes federal approval more complicated because many vehicle rules were written for cars with human drivers.
Why the outside of the robotaxi changed too
Zoox also made exterior changes that focus on visibility and communication. The company relocated its bidirectional reflectors so people outside the vehicle can better understand which direction it is moving. Zoox says those reflectors rotate color to clearly distinguish the robotaxi’s front from its rear. That is important because a boxy robotaxi that can drive both ways may confuse pedestrians, cyclists or other drivers.
Zoox also added a new speaker and microphone to the door interface. The vehicle now supports two-way audio, which can help riders talk with Zoox Support. It may also help first responders communicate in an emergency. That may sound like a small upgrade, but it is important. If there is no driver, someone still needs a clear way to talk to the vehicle, the rider or support staff when something goes wrong.
The refreshed cabin uses aloe-green seating, stone-grey trim and added padding to create a calmer ride. (Zoox)
Zoox wants more riders, but approval still comes first
Zoox says this latest version is its production intent vehicle, and it plans to move into large-scale production at its robotaxi facility in Hayward, California. Zoox says it is live in Las Vegas and San Francisco, while Austin and Miami are listed as “Now Arriving” on its ride pages. Availability varies by city, so this is still not the same as opening an app anywhere and calling a ride. Zoox says riders can download the app at zoox.com/app to ride in Las Vegas or join the waitlist in other cities. Zoox wants to make the updated robotaxis available to more riders later this year, but that expansion remains subject to regulatory approval.
WAYMO RECALLS ROBOTAXIS OVER CONSTRUCTION-ZONE RISK
Zoox has petitioned NHTSA for a temporary exemption from certain requirements in eight Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards for its automated vehicle. NHTSA previously granted Zoox a demonstration exemption for its driverless vehicles, but broader commercial deployment still depends on regulatory approval. That decision could shape how quickly Zoox moves from limited access to more widespread availability.
Why this robotaxi redesign is important for you
This update says a lot about where robotaxis are headed. The early race focused on whether autonomous vehicles could safely drive through cities. Now, companies also have to prove that people will enjoy using them. That is a different challenge.
You may be willing to try a robotaxi once because it feels new. However, would you use one again if the seat feels stiff, your drink tips over or you cannot figure out how to get help? Probably not.
Zoox seems to understand that. The company is polishing the experience before it tries to scale the service. That makes sense because robotaxis will be judged by the whole ride, including whether the vehicle feels safe, comfortable and easy to use.
The bigger robotaxi race is heating up
Zoox isn’t alone in the robotaxi race. Waymo already operates in several markets, Tesla has been pushing its own robotaxi plans and other autonomous vehicle companies continue to test driverless technology. Zoox stands out because its vehicle has no traditional driver setup at all. That makes it visually striking, but it also puts the company closer to the center of the regulatory debate.
Federal rules still have to catch up with vehicles that were never designed for a human driver. Until that happens, companies like Zoox may need exemptions before they can fully launch paid service. For riders, the question becomes less about whether the technology looks cool and more about whether it feels safe, comfortable and easy to use.
Watch the CyberGuy Live replay: Lock Down Your Phone in 30 Minutes
Your phone holds your email, passwords, photos, banking apps and personal data. In this free CyberGuy Live replay, Kurt the CyberGuy walks you step by step through simple phone security fixes you can do at your own pace. You’ll learn how to improve your privacy settings, spot the latest phone scams, use trusted security tools and walk away with a simple checklist to stay protected. Watch the replay and get our checklist here: CyberGuyLive.com
Larger cupholders and a redesigned charging area show how Zoox is focusing on everyday rider comfort. (Zoox)
Kurt’s key takeaways
Zoox’s updated robotaxi shows how autonomous vehicles are moving into a new phase. The technology still has to prove itself on safety, but the ride experience now counts too. Better seats, clearer screens, larger cupholders and easier communication may sound minor, yet those are the things that become important for everyday riders. The bigger issue is approval. Zoox can make the cabin calmer and more comfortable, but broader commercial deployment still depends on regulatory approval. That is the part to follow closely because it could affect how quickly steering-wheel-free robotaxis show up in your city.
Would you climb into a driverless taxi with no steering wheel if it looked this calm inside, or would you still want a human at the controls? Let us know by writing to us at Cyberguy.com
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