Concerns Raised Over Uber’s Privacy Policies

Skipping red lights

This potential scandal stands in a long line of known privacy endangering cases such as the iOS app asking permission to keep track of its clients, even while not using it. Betraying the trust of users led to many of them giving up on the service for good. Furthermore, we all remember the so-called “God View” debacle, when it was revealed that Uber’s executives were using the feature to track journalists and other “important people’s” rides without their consent. This happened in 2014, the same year in which a security flaw was discovered that exposed the data of around 50,000 drivers in the U.S. alone. The latter resulted in Uber being forced to pay a $20,000 fine in the beginning of 2016.

This new case came to light when a former employee filed a lawsuit against his ex-employer accusing the company of “having no regard for data protection” since Uber collected all sorts of data about their customers. This includes names, usernames, emails, amounts paid, pickup and drop-off locations and more. But that’s not all. According to the accuser, the company allowed all staff to get access to the information of “high profile politicians, celebrities, and even personal acquaintances of Uber employees (…)”. One of the alleged tracked celebrities was Beyoncé. The former employee goes even further and accuses Uber of destroying legal documents besides cutting off the internet in the corporate offices so that nothing could be found during government raids.

Furthermore, consider using a VPN on your phone while ordering your Uber and during the ride itself. The big majority of VPN providers actually offer mobile support with dedicated apps for iOS, Android and even Windows Phone. With one of these blankets on your shoulders you can put your mind at ease, as your information will be heavily protected with military grade encryptions and strong protocols. In addition, you can also circumvent geo-blocks and access the world’s prime content, even while you’re riding an Uber.