Rumors circulated today that robotaxi company Waymo might use data from vehicles' interior cameras to train AI and sell targeted ads to riders. However, the company has tried to quell concerns, insisting that it won't be targeting ads to passengers. The situation arose after researcher and engineer Jane Manchun Wong discovered an unreleased version of Waymo's privacy policy that suggested the robotaxi company could start using data from its vehicles to train generative AI. The draft policy has language allowing customers to opt out of Waymo "using your personal information (including interior camera data associated with your identity) for training GAI." Wong's discovery also suggested that Waymo could use that camera footage to sell personalized ads to riders. Later in the day, The Verge obtained comments on this unreleased privacy policy from Waymo spokesperson Julia Ilina.

Google this week unveiled a major redesign of Google Pay for Android and iOS. The app is meant to take on not just Apple Pay and Samsung Pay, but also PayPal, Venmo, and Mint all in one. Google also announced partnerships with 11 U.S. banks and credit unions to launch a mobile-first bank account service called Plex next year. Just like with health care, tech companies are becoming increasingly interested in banking. More competition in an industry that still hasn't embraced the internet, let alone the latest tech like artificial intelligence, is exciting.

Facebook has attempted to clarify the full amount of data that it collects on its users. In a post titled'Hard Questions: What Information Do Facebook Advertisers Know About Me?' the scandal-hit site details everything it collects and attempts to explain why it does it. The full scale of that data has been laid clear in recent weeks as the company has been attacked for the vast amount of information it collects on its users. In a new post, it promises that it is not compromising people's privacy in the way that it collects data about them. And it aggressively attacks the common suggestion that Facebook's users are its product, writing that it simply uses its ads to make sure it can keep that free.