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

Uber faces criminal probe over software used to evade authorities

reuters.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

331–340 of 596 posts

Re: Uber faces criminal probe over software used to evade authorities

#331

Post by biztos »

mschuster91 wrote: post #304
jmckib wrote: post #294

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I do care whether or not my drivers are forced to purchase a medallion and abide by other silly regulations, because it affects the cost and quality of the service.

> drivers are forced to purchase a medallion In Germany: while taxis are required to have licenses, we don't have such things as taxi drivers renting their medallions for a day. > and abide by other silly regulations Regulations usually exist for good reasons. Let's just take the common complaints about the German ones: - cab drivers have rigorous tests on their knowledge of the city's streets: you don't want to have…

> you don't want them spend a minute idling and typing the destination in the GPS

And yet this happens to me in probably one in four rides in Berlin (which adds up to a lot of rides), and not really anywhere exotic: Tegel to Kollwitzplatz for instance.

(I agree with all your points and I use MyTaxi which I find good enough, but I think the street map knowledge of Berlin taxi drivers has radically decreased in the last ten years. No idea why.)

Re: Uber faces criminal probe over software used to evade authorities

#332

Post by kartickv »

avar wrote: post #316
xanderjanz wrote: post #312

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Here's a better metaphor. If a local city inspector is looking to catch a pizza shop selling liquor without a special license, and calls to order beer, the shop owner recognizes the caller ID, lies, and says he doesn't sell beer right now but he should call back tomorrow. But then later, the town votes to remove the special license requirement. Did the pizza shop obstruct justice?

In order for this metaphor to work it would have to be a chain of pizza parlors in many states, and it wouldn't have been the owner who answered the phone, but any number of employees trained by the company to react this way to their local city inspectors.

Why is it okay for the owner to do this, but not an employee? Why is it okay if you have just one shop rather than a chain?

Re: Uber faces criminal probe over software used to evade authorities

#333

Post by memmcgee »

bogositosius wrote: post #264
malto wrote: post #249

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's not out of scope. Uber is a corrupt organization. Here's to hoping that one of Travis Kalanick's numerous criminal actions (such as his decision to steal Google's self-driving tech) comes home to roost. There's now a material chance that Ubers investors (and many employees) will get zeroed out due to their reckless, willful, criminal actions. And frankly, that's fucking hilarious.

>such as his decision to steal Google's self-driving tech When was this proven? So far, those are nothing but allegations in a civil suit.

Do you work for Uber or something? Because you seem awfully determined to be willfully dense about this issue.

Re: Uber faces criminal probe over software used to evade authorities

#334

Post by maccard »

naskwo wrote: post #293

Last weekend, I visited Hamburg with my wife. I was surprised when I was told that I couldn't catch an Uber. However, on each German taxi (you know, the beige ones) there was a sticker prompting me to download the "EUTaxi" (or similarly named) app, which I did. Brilliant. I was able to summon a car within minutes, and this app also allows for paying via the app. Uber's biggest threat is, IMO, the creation of a well-w…

This is how uber works in the UK. All cabs are licensed for private hire

Re: Uber faces criminal probe over software used to evade authorities

#335

Post by HenryBemis »

drawnwren wrote: post #301
lioeters wrote: post #220

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm guessing financial crisis precipitated by corporate crime/fraud on massive scale, going unpunished?

Oh that seems reasonable. I'm not really sure it was so obvious that I deserved down votes.

I gave you an up-vote.. it makes sense that "2008 means financial crisis" but on the other hand many things happened in 2008 and not all of them had to do with that crisis. Especially if you are not in Financial Services. One would argue that the crisis started a lot earlier, or that in many countries the actual crisis became apparent in 2009-2010-2011.

Not everyone in this forum lives in the USA and people should remember that :)

Re: Uber faces criminal probe over software used to evade authorities

#336

Post by djsumdog »

easilyBored wrote: post #275
holly4 wrote: post #188

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well I hope some one goes to jail. Though my hopes aren't high after 2008.

Time Machine: "Uber settles with DOJ. While admitting to no wrongdoing, Uber agrees to pay $1.2 million fine and $232 in investigation costs." Until people that OK'd, knew and /or executed a certain action go to jail, nothing will change. Lawyer fees and fines now are a tiny cost of doing business for big corps.

This is the sad state of hypernormalism we're now in. We acknowledge the rich get a different standards of justice, but feel powerless (and rightly so) to do anything about it.

Re: Uber faces criminal probe over software used to evade authorities

#337

Post by alexbecker »

sillysaurus3 wrote: post #31
eridius wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why haven't you quit yet? There's been more ugly stuff coming out about Uber over the past few years than basically the entire of the rest of the tech industry combined.

I mean, we can say "It's wrong for you to keep using the thing on your phone that's installed and works," but all that will do is make people conceal that they still use Uber. A better approach might be an anecdote: My friend actually made the switch to Lyft, and apparently it's just as quick and effective as Uber. She hasn't had any complaints as far as I know.

Almost everyone I know has switched (myself included), and we haven't had any issues. The fares are sometimes higher for long-distance pools, but that's pretty much the only difference I've noticed.

Re: Uber faces criminal probe over software used to evade authorities

#338

Post by ingenuous2 »

personlurking wrote: post #302
vadym909 wrote: post #231

Earlier quoted context omitted.

pulling an Uber on Uber

In Brazil, there are now Uber users, with fleets of cars, who no longer have to drive themselves, since these users rent the cars out to unemployed people (or those unable to have their own car) in exchange for a large part of the profits.

Given the reported strictness of the Uber rating system, are the actual drivers good? Isn't that what the rating system is supposed to solve?

Re: Uber faces criminal probe over software used to evade authorities

#339

Post by ingenuous2 »

kartickv wrote: post #332
avar wrote: post #316

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In order for this metaphor to work it would have to be a chain of pizza parlors in many states, and it wouldn't have been the owner who answered the phone, but any number of employees trained by the company to react this way to their local city inspectors.

Why is it okay for the owner to do this, but not an employee? Why is it okay if you have just one shop rather than a chain?

For the latter, because that indicates a criminal enterprise. The idea of a coordinated group of people all breaking the law is deemed worse than one individual.

I can reconcile this with my own values.

Practically, an enterprise of criminals is more likely to be effective, and thus would create more negative costs.

Legally, it allows prosecution of the organizers of a crime group, who are likely the most dangerous and more difficult to catch in the act, as they contract others to do their work.

Re: Uber faces criminal probe over software used to evade authorities

#340

Post by johncolanduoni »

djsumdog wrote: post #336
easilyBored wrote: post #275

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Time Machine: "Uber settles with DOJ. While admitting to no wrongdoing, Uber agrees to pay $1.2 million fine and $232 in investigation costs." Until people that OK'd, knew and /or executed a certain action go to jail, nothing will change. Lawyer fees and fines now are a tiny cost of doing business for big corps.

This is the sad state of hypernormalism we're now in. We acknowledge the rich get a different standards of justice, but feel powerless (and rightly so) to do anything about it.

Now? When was the golden age where that wasn't the case?
Post reply on HN