I think politicians are right to be afraid. Surveillance of this magnitude isn't a ballot-box-level grievance. It's a Guy Fawkes/V-level injustice. They're stepping into territory where the very people they're supposed to stop might instead turn justified.
"Men" is both a social and biological differentiator. They are the only ones with power to stop this if they want to. We can play philosophy but reality is what it is. Sexism continues because men look the other way, not because women endure it.
I'm not up to speed with US regulations, but the design seems very dangerous for pedestrian collisions. A sharp and hard shell must be very harmful, even at low speeds.