The case had been a civil matter between the two companies, with Waymo alleging that a former Uber exec stole self-driving car technology from them, used those secrets to start a competing company, and then sold that company to Uber for $680 million. But now a letter dated November 22 has been unsealed by the judge presiding over the case revealing the Justice Department is investigating the incident as a criminal matter, reports the AP. The letter was sent from the DOJ to the presiding judge to inform him of other information in the case, including that a former Uber security specialist told the Justice Department that Uber employees frequently used “non-attributable electronic devices” (i.e., burner phones) to conceal their use of stolen technology.
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