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Uber banned from operating in Indian capital after rape accusation

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Re: Uber banned from operating in Indian capital after rape accusation

#91
post #90
post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/12/10/delhi-rape-one-conv... Of 706 reported rape cases, 1 lead to an actual conviction. So you have an under-reported category of crime which is irregularly prosecuted. There's obvious ethical issues with denying jobs to people based on accusation rather than conviction, but in a society with a broken justice system surrounding that, there's ethical dilemmas no matter how you slice…

> there's ethical dilemmas no matter how you slice it You're exactly right. So the question becomes, "Is it better to disqualify applicants based on accusation alone, knowing that you'll disqualify some number of innocent people, or is it better to screen on convictions alone, knowing that you could possibly not screen out some guilty folks you otherwise would?"

You can go better than "accusation". Anyone could accuse anyone of anything. But you could set the bar in the middle with "arrested", which is half way between "accusation" and "conviction".

Re: Uber banned from operating in Indian capital after rape accusation

#92

Uber is not being banned just because of this rape incident. Uber did not following Indian laws & Delhi transport regulations, and operated illegally under the radar. Before this incident, Delhi Government was not aware about how Uber operated. This incident prompted Indian authorities to investigate the operations of Uber. Uber's stance is that we are not a taxi company, we are an app company; so we do not need to f…

> The alleged driver had previously served 7 months in prison for rape charges, that didn't stop Uber from recruiting him.

mostly because he had No Objection Certificate from Delhi Police itself [0] that his history is clean?

EDIT: This image could be fake too, I can't trust our Indian media houses either :|

[0] - http://i.imgur.com/rwjhHBq.jpg

source of [0] - https://twitter.com/timesnow/status/541885210573275136

Re: Uber banned from operating in Indian capital after rape accusation

#93

I've said it elsewhere too [0], and I say it again... There's no doubt that Uber is on a free ride in India. If they can bully their way in the US, and not care about law and regulations there, then they have absolutely nothing to worry about in India. The law enforcement is weak, to say the least. * Uber's customer service is a disgrace. I've tried contacting them 4 times for different issues ranging from bugs in th…

How do you pay Uber in India? Did you make a deposit, or is this on a credit card? I don't know the credit card rules in India, but in USA there's no way I would have ended up paying Uber's self-serving "fine".

Re: Uber banned from operating in Indian capital after rape accusation

#94

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If Uber didn't hire this driver, this crime could have been prevented. Delhi laws require all cabs to have an onboard GPS: "The vehicle must be fitted with GPS/GPRS based tracking devises which must be in constant communication with the Central Control unit while the vehicles is on duty." Uber didn't even have an on-board always on GPS, their only way to track is through mobile app; which the driver conveniently turn…

How would that have achieved anything? You want a Minority Report-esque flying police department that drops themselves onto the road if the driver veers off route?

Well, it would have meant abiding by the law...

Re: Uber banned from operating in Indian capital after rape accusation

#95

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There really ought be no two minds about this. If he was acquitted and you don't give him a job soley because of that fact it would be unfair discrimination.

I wouldn't hire George Zimmerman or Darren Wilson for any job.

If I were in a position to hire/not hire those characters, I would definitely stipulate that they may not bring a gun to work...

Re: Uber banned from operating in Indian capital after rape accusation

#97
post #76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This sounds similar to the argument that you should avoid black people because they are more likely to be criminals; clearly that would improve your odds of finding an acceptable mate. Conclusions: individuals are not odds.

In a purely mathematical sense, its advantageous to dismiss candidates with any defect or suspected defect. At least when there is an endless supply. The trouble with discrimination is, it works so well.

@tomp

>even though the underlying mathematical principles are the same. Don't hire a man because he could be a rapist? OK. Don't hire a woman because she might give birth? Outrageous.

Yeah, one is not hiring someone who forces and hurts people for his sexual pleasure, the other is not hiring someone giving birth, something we celebrate, and helps human society continue existing.

I don't even know what "the underlying mathematical principles are the same" is supposed to mean, when the ethical differences are so vast. That there might be same chance of him being a rapist to her giving birth? How is that even relevant?

Re: Uber banned from operating in Indian capital after rape accusation

#98
post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't quite understand the wording on the website. The article said the driver was acquitted; would a proper screening still have disqualified him, given his acquittal? Quick disclaimer: clearly, given what you said, Uber needs to dramatically change how it operates in India, and thorough background checks are hugely important for a commercial transport service. I'm just wondering if it would have been enough to pr…

If Uber didn't hire this driver, this crime could have been prevented. Delhi laws require all cabs to have an onboard GPS: "The vehicle must be fitted with GPS/GPRS based tracking devises which must be in constant communication with the Central Control unit while the vehicles is on duty." Uber didn't even have an on-board always on GPS, their only way to track is through mobile app; which the driver conveniently turn…

Yeah, the crime would have been prevented if Uber hadn't hired the driver, and I hadn't known about the GPS, which is also key. My question is more "would Uber's background check process have caused the driver not to have been hired".

Re: Uber banned from operating in Indian capital after rape accusation

#99

Uber is not being banned just because of this rape incident. Uber did not following Indian laws & Delhi transport regulations, and operated illegally under the radar. Before this incident, Delhi Government was not aware about how Uber operated. This incident prompted Indian authorities to investigate the operations of Uber. Uber's stance is that we are not a taxi company, we are an app company; so we do not need to f…

>The alleged driver had previously served 7 months in prison for rape charges, Only 7 months for rape?

That does seem absurdly low. I would think at least a couple years for a rape charge at the very least.

Re: Uber banned from operating in Indian capital after rape accusation

#100
post #88

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Exactly. When a person is put in a trusted position over another, we often have these higher standards.. teachers for example. A cab driver -- who's capable of locking the doors and taking their passenger to wherever they want -- is in such a trusted position, and there should be a higher standard for those positions. This doesn't mean they are being prevented from working. They're being prevented from working in thi…

What if somebody who already is in a position of power/authority/trust is accused of something like that? That's what I meant with "easy to ruin people's lives" (e.g. Strauss-Kahn).

Well, here in the US at least, that very often leads to them losing their job. And I'm not just referring to rape--even more minor offenses... for example, teachers have been fired for their offensive facebook comments.

That isn't ruining their lives. They are free to go work elsewhere where other people's lives aren't put in their hands.

I'll be more specific. This man was accused of rape and worked as a cab driver, where other people trust their lives to him. Instead, he could work as a truck driver transporting goods.

That isn't ruining his life. Truth is, it would barely change.

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