Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Uber Now Tracks Passengers’ Locations Even After They’re Dropped Off

npr.org

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

41–50 of 500 posts

Re: Uber Now Tracks Passengers’ Locations Even After They’re Dropped Off

#41

Post by wlesieutre »

31reasons wrote: post #36
amluto wrote: post #26

I really wish that both Android and iOS had an option to outright prevent an app from doing anything in the background. No sensors, no location, no push notifications, no network access, no CPU time, URL protocols, no nothing. If I don't click the little app icon, the app shouldn't run, full stop.

Not even for messaging app?

I don't think they're suggesting a single toggle for the whole phone, just that it be a setting you can force for individual apps. You'd only do it to apps that have no business running in the background like Uber.

Re: Uber Now Tracks Passengers’ Locations Even After They’re Dropped Off

#42

Post by JankyTurtle »

amluto wrote: post #26

I really wish that both Android and iOS had an option to outright prevent an app from doing anything in the background. No sensors, no location, no push notifications, no network access, no CPU time, URL protocols, no nothing. If I don't click the little app icon, the app shouldn't run, full stop.

I'm pretty sure with most Android phones you can kill applications that are sent to the background immediately.

Re: Uber Now Tracks Passengers’ Locations Even After They’re Dropped Off

#43

Post by subdane »

untog wrote: post #25
hvmonk wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How do you know Lyft doesn't do that? Any blogpost, article would be helpful. Thanks.

You don't know until someone investigates, obviously. But if you have to choose between an app that definitely does that and an app that might do it, it makes sense to use the one that might in the meantime. There's an opportunity for Lyft to be "Uber, but for not scummy business practises" here, but I suppose most users don't really care. Austin would have been a good test of that, but Lyft withdrew along with Uber.

There's also the "god view" scandal which Uber definitely did get sued for (there haven't been similar lawsuits against Lyft) https://www.buzzfeed.com/johanabhuiyan/uber-settles-godview

Re: Uber Now Tracks Passengers’ Locations Even After They’re Dropped Off

#44

Post by JumpCrisscross »

hvmonk wrote: post #23
uuilly wrote: post #15

Yeah, after being a "dozen rides a week" Uber user for the last year, I switched to Lyft. There is just no reason for this.

How do you know Lyft doesn't do that? Any blogpost, article would be helpful. Thanks.

> How do you know Lyft doesn't do that?

They let me not let them. Lyft lets me tell iOS to share my location with it only "while using the app". Uber used to do this. But now that option has disappeared--it's only "always" or "never".

Re: Uber Now Tracks Passengers’ Locations Even After They’re Dropped Off

#45

Post by jacalata »

colept wrote: post #22

Devil's advocate: I had an Uber driver drop me off in a sketchy alley three blocks from the location I specified, but because he barely spoke a lick of English I had trouble communicating that it wasn't my stop.

They already had the data showing where he dropped you off, what do you think they're going to do with the extra data?

Re: Uber Now Tracks Passengers’ Locations Even After They’re Dropped Off

#46

Post by kakarot »

amluto wrote: post #26

I really wish that both Android and iOS had an option to outright prevent an app from doing anything in the background. No sensors, no location, no push notifications, no network access, no CPU time, URL protocols, no nothing. If I don't click the little app icon, the app shouldn't run, full stop.

Android can do that if you enable developer tools. Not sure if it can be easily overridden by an app or not

Re: Uber Now Tracks Passengers’ Locations Even After They’re Dropped Off

#47

Post by jonathankoren »

WhitneyLand wrote: post #30
jonathankoren wrote: post #20

Uber is really a scummy company. And given their track record with absuing user data, I don't trust them at all with this new expansive data collection effort. Let's review the company shall we? The CEO, Travis Kalanick, has used God View to monitor people for entertainment.[0] The head of their NYC office also go into hot water over using God View inappropriately[1]. At other companies, these would be fireable offen…

I take issue with your summary. You forgot arrogant and douchy antics, documented in interviews, personal accounts, and other places.

When I visited them, I found the company was full of very young, very naïve, kool-aid drinkers.

Re: Uber Now Tracks Passengers’ Locations Even After They’re Dropped Off

#48

Post by tass »

honkhonkpants wrote: post #3

Yeah REALLY obnoxious. I was just disabling this after another Uber ride. They do not provide the option to enable location services only when the app is running on screen. I think it might be nice if iOS presented this option regardless of what Uber wants.

I denied permission to location as soon as this change happened with the intention of enabling and disabling before each ride.

It's now more convenient to use competitors apps, though, and i haven't actually used uber since the change.

Re: Uber Now Tracks Passengers’ Locations Even After They’re Dropped Off

#49

Post by tass »

honkhonkpants wrote: post #3

Yeah REALLY obnoxious. I was just disabling this after another Uber ride. They do not provide the option to enable location services only when the app is running on screen. I think it might be nice if iOS presented this option regardless of what Uber wants.

I denied permission to location as soon as this change happened with the intention of enabling and disabling before each ride.

It's now more convenient to use competitors apps, though, and i haven't actually used uber since the change.

Post reply on HN