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

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

#301

Post by dx034 »

kbart wrote: post #275
employee8000 wrote: post #234

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Uber employee here. We were told the reason to track up to 5 mins after the trip is for fraud, ex if a driver doesn't end the trip when she is supposed to. and to figure out where the pick up spots for each address are. A large building may have multiple points where people get picked up or dropped off and knowing those points would be very useful for the drivers and riders. And just as a side note, take it with a fe…

"Uber as a company is very ethical and takes the responsibility that we are entrusted with very seriously." Probably every company has said that, yet we know how that usually turns out sooner rather than later (I'm looking at you, WhatsApp). "So I know it's not easy to believe, and it's easy for me to say since I work here, but nothing nefarious is going on. If there was, we the engineers would be against it complete…

Whatsapp was ethical, the problem is with the company that bought them. And they didn't necessarily know that when they sold (even if, an offer of that size is hard to decline).

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

#302

Post by jaxondu »

employee8000 wrote: post #234
yladiz wrote: post #34

I saw this earlier and had hopes that the update would just let me choose "While Using" in the app settings, like some other apps allow you even if they request access even while not using the app, but the settings only allow for "Always" or "Never" on iPhone. However, you can use Uber without allowing GPS, so it's not all or nothing. I'm a little disturbed that they need any information after I use Uber though. They…

Uber employee here. We were told the reason to track up to 5 mins after the trip is for fraud, ex if a driver doesn't end the trip when she is supposed to. and to figure out where the pick up spots for each address are. A large building may have multiple points where people get picked up or dropped off and knowing those points would be very useful for the drivers and riders. And just as a side note, take it with a fe…

If only need 5 mins after the trip, Uber is in strong position as large user to work with Apple on how to extend the existing background API to cover its use case.

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

#303

Post by employee8000 »

mfrommil wrote: post #292
employee8000 wrote: post #234

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Uber employee here. We were told the reason to track up to 5 mins after the trip is for fraud, ex if a driver doesn't end the trip when she is supposed to. and to figure out where the pick up spots for each address are. A large building may have multiple points where people get picked up or dropped off and knowing those points would be very useful for the drivers and riders. And just as a side note, take it with a fe…

Calling bs on "uber as a company is very ethical" and "nothing nefarious is going on": Spying on a journalist: http://www.businessinsider.com/ubers-new-york-manager-invest... Tracking celebrities and sharing publicly: http://www.forbes.com/sites/kashmirhill/2014/10/03/god-view-...

Both articles from 2014. Uber 2014 and Uber 2016 are different companies, probably 5x the number of employees and has matured substantially especially with employee conduct expectations. I would be shocked and angry if something like that happened today.

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

#304

Post by employee8000 »

kbart wrote: post #275
employee8000 wrote: post #234

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Uber employee here. We were told the reason to track up to 5 mins after the trip is for fraud, ex if a driver doesn't end the trip when she is supposed to. and to figure out where the pick up spots for each address are. A large building may have multiple points where people get picked up or dropped off and knowing those points would be very useful for the drivers and riders. And just as a side note, take it with a fe…

"Uber as a company is very ethical and takes the responsibility that we are entrusted with very seriously." Probably every company has said that, yet we know how that usually turns out sooner rather than later (I'm looking at you, WhatsApp). "So I know it's not easy to believe, and it's easy for me to say since I work here, but nothing nefarious is going on. If there was, we the engineers would be against it complete…

I fundamentally agree with you about giving only as much data as necessary. Personally I don't know why we force a binary decision on location tracking. If it were Google or Facebook doing it to me, iI would be distressed.

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

#305

Post by pg314 »

xapata wrote: post #202
nojvek wrote: post #160

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well it's the same company that creepily gives me a code interview in the app because it knows I go to a software company couple of times a week and pushes a job ad. Uber has a lot of sensitive information regarding users. Who goes where and when. This in the wrong hand can be very disastrous. E.g Trump to Uber: "gimme list of all people who to to mosques frequently. No tax for you." Uber: "Here you go. Just don't te…

You do know that your phone company already has that info, right?

As far as I know the location data a phone company has is not as fine-grained as GPS. But I agree with your point that a person's call data records are very sensitive information.

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

#306

Post by zachrose »

employee8000 wrote: post #303
mfrommil wrote: post #292

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Calling bs on "uber as a company is very ethical" and "nothing nefarious is going on": Spying on a journalist: http://www.businessinsider.com/ubers-new-york-manager-invest... Tracking celebrities and sharing publicly: http://www.forbes.com/sites/kashmirhill/2014/10/03/god-view-...

Both articles from 2014. Uber 2014 and Uber 2016 are different companies, probably 5x the number of employees and has matured substantially especially with employee conduct expectations. I would be shocked and angry if something like that happened today.

That's not how trust works.

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

#308

Post by LargeCompanies »

mfrommil wrote: post #292
employee8000 wrote: post #234

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Uber employee here. We were told the reason to track up to 5 mins after the trip is for fraud, ex if a driver doesn't end the trip when she is supposed to. and to figure out where the pick up spots for each address are. A large building may have multiple points where people get picked up or dropped off and knowing those points would be very useful for the drivers and riders. And just as a side note, take it with a fe…

Calling bs on "uber as a company is very ethical" and "nothing nefarious is going on": Spying on a journalist: http://www.businessinsider.com/ubers-new-york-manager-invest... Tracking celebrities and sharing publicly: http://www.forbes.com/sites/kashmirhill/2014/10/03/god-view-...

- Search Twitter for fraud rides in London .. happens to tons of people a month but they don't care. I got hit up for a 1k ride in London yet im in the US.

- Try canceling your account .. you have to contact their support who will cancel it for you. What i signed up once and you let my account get hacked and dont care and I cant cancel my account myself? I have to wait a week????

- SOmeone I know has leased a car through one of their leasing car companies and it has ruined his life financially with all their nickel and diming and no invoice from them in regards to what he is being charged for. They just brush him off... he works two jobs .. a sales job and Uber to feed his family.

- In a few years all Uber's loyal drivers who use it to get by and feed their families will be screwed over by Uber.

How can anyone call Uber ethical ... it's the epitome of why Hilary Clinton lost as it's all about making huge profits for a very small subset of people at the expense of the majority who Uber is just using to get filthy rich.

Worst company ever run by silicon valley lucky ass unicorn douchebags who don't give a damn about anyone but themselves. Their smug asses need to meet the smack down of govt. regulationS!!!

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

#309

Post by orange_county »

nojvek wrote: post #160
yladiz wrote: post #34

I saw this earlier and had hopes that the update would just let me choose "While Using" in the app settings, like some other apps allow you even if they request access even while not using the app, but the settings only allow for "Always" or "Never" on iPhone. However, you can use Uber without allowing GPS, so it's not all or nothing. I'm a little disturbed that they need any information after I use Uber though. They…

Well it's the same company that creepily gives me a code interview in the app because it knows I go to a software company couple of times a week and pushes a job ad. Uber has a lot of sensitive information regarding users. Who goes where and when. This in the wrong hand can be very disastrous. E.g Trump to Uber: "gimme list of all people who to to mosques frequently. No tax for you." Uber: "Here you go. Just don't te…

How come no one is throwing fuss about this for Google's foobar challenge? This is the same exact thing.

In today's time, we give up privacy for convenience. If you use a smart phone, Facebook, windows/google anything you are already giving up privacy. Stop pretending that 5 mins location monitoring is a big deal.

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

#310

Post by rodgerd »

employee8000 wrote: post #247
dimino wrote: post #245

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> but Uber as a company is very ethical You've got to understand how directly this clashes with the media coverage re: driver rights.

Yes and as an employee looking from the inside out, I see how negative the press is, and before I joined Uber I was biased by the media coverage as well. But everything I've seen on the inside directly goes against the media coverage I've seen. Take it with a grain of salt obviously.

Uber has hired drivers in my country who it turns out are medically unfit to hold a driver's license, while running ads claiming they do exhaustive background checks.

That is not "the media". Your employer is totally unethical.

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