Uber can't seem to catch a break these days, can they. Can anyone explain how this is different from Google and Facebook following you around with informatics everywhere you go on the internet? The favicon trick is a pretty good example.
What's the favicon trick?
Uber gets sued over alleged ‘Hell’ program to track Lyft drivers
51–60 of 228 posts
Re: Uber gets sued over alleged ‘Hell’ program to track Lyft drivers
#52So, no one was really able to answer my question last thread. In fact, I mostly got snarky condescending replies. I've stopped caring about such things though, so hopefully good-faith questions are still welcome: What's wrong with Uber tracking Lyft drivers? What is wrong with using a competitor's API to get real-time tactical information about them? Not only did it not harm Lyft drivers, but it actually aided them:…
I'll offer a good faith answer, even though I'm pretty sure you'll dismiss it as snarky condescension.
Point 1: Lyft's API comes with a contractual agreement regarding acceptable usage. Uber deliberately breached that agreement. This is a breach of property rights.
Point 2: They breached Lyft's property rights with the intent of stalking Lyft drivers, and of harming Lyft as an organization. This shows the breach of property rights was not neutral or positive, but rather was an activity meant to harm the property owner, and to reduce the competitive landscape.
Point 3: It was a clear violation of law. I include this last because law only loosely correlates with morality; however law draws the lines on the playing field and it is worth explicitly noting that Uber arranged for its employees to break federal law, repeatedly, for Uber's benefit.
If you don't think property rights are important, go talk with a Libertarian.
Re: Uber gets sued over alleged ‘Hell’ program to track Lyft drivers
#53It is no coincidence that Techcrunch loves writing negative articles about Uber almost weekly now.... It draws in page views which equals ad revenue from the constantly outraged.
How terrible terrible the news media has become, writing about things that happen, and that happen to interest people. Personally, I only read things that I don't want to read, and the options are really getting thin these days.
How virtuous of you.
Re: Uber gets sued over alleged ‘Hell’ program to track Lyft drivers
#54Uber lost me as a customer if there are other options. I was in Houston this past weekend and everyone is using Uber, no one using Lyft, etc.
I ended up downloading their app and using it all weekend, and uninstalled it as soon as I got to the airport. I wonder how many other cities are basically exclusively Uber currently ?
Re: Uber gets sued over alleged ‘Hell’ program to track Lyft drivers
#55How does anyone, when asked to build such a program, not raise an objection, or say something? The ethical compromise made on behalf of all involved is startling, if this is true.
Well I'd want to know, what is your basis for calling it an ethical compromise?
Re: Uber gets sued over alleged ‘Hell’ program to track Lyft drivers
#56How does anyone, when asked to build such a program, not raise an objection, or say something? The ethical compromise made on behalf of all involved is startling, if this is true.
I just send the rockets up, where they come down is not my department.
Why do people build weapons? Why do people pay taxes, that are used to fund immoral actions? Why do people provide services to immoral actors? Typically, the answer is money.
Re: Uber gets sued over alleged ‘Hell’ program to track Lyft drivers
#57How does anyone, when asked to build such a program, not raise an objection, or say something? The ethical compromise made on behalf of all involved is startling, if this is true.
silicon valley has filled up with the types of money chasing individuals who would have once become investment bankers on wall street and brought similar morals with them
Re: Uber gets sued over alleged ‘Hell’ program to track Lyft drivers
#58Earlier quoted context omitted.
What's the favicon trick?
http://stackoverflow.com/questions/16828763/use-favicon-to-t...
The Etag trick was interesting, but a little less stealthy: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/HTTP_ETag#Tracking_using_ETa...
Re: Uber gets sued over alleged ‘Hell’ program to track Lyft drivers
#59So, no one was really able to answer my question last thread. In fact, I mostly got snarky condescending replies. I've stopped caring about such things though, so hopefully good-faith questions are still welcome: What's wrong with Uber tracking Lyft drivers? What is wrong with using a competitor's API to get real-time tactical information about them? Not only did it not harm Lyft drivers, but it actually aided them:…
If you drive for Uber, you presumably agreed to some kind of contract where it's OK for them to track your every move. Drivers who only work for Lyft made no such agreement with Uber. That's probably what this will hinge on.
Nope. I doubt the drivers have a case. I mean, the public can see them, so there is no expectation of privacy whatsoever.
Lyft, itself, on the other hand, has a much better case against Uber
Re: Uber gets sued over alleged ‘Hell’ program to track Lyft drivers
#60There is something weird about the tactics of Uber execs. I don't think it's all an ethics failure.
A lot of the lying and cheating they do seems like an objectively poor risk/reward proposition and I think many companies would not even get to the ethics question because they would stop when realizing the ideas are stupid when you add up the negatives.
Stealing Google's autonomous auto IP could be a crime that actually moves the needle for the company (if it turns out they are guilty), so I guess they at least had significant upside with that one.