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

Post by buro9 » Fri, Dec 02, 2016, 1:00 PM UTC

pawadu wrote: post #409

buro9 wrote: post #395

For Uber and UberEats I now manually manage these in Android (which I do for a few other apps I have lower trust for). Which means I shut off all permissions between uses, and I block all notifications. I grant Location, only as needed to get a driver or place an order. Once I'm in the car, I turn airplane mode on, deny all permissions and notifications, and I reboot the phone. Isn't it crazy that this is where we ar…

Have you tested any automation apps for Android like Tasker [1] and Automate [2] for doing all this automagically? [1] https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.dinglisch.... [2] https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.llamalab.a...

Post by madeofpalk » Fri, Dec 02, 2016, 1:23 PM UTC

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…

Post by RodericDay » Fri, Dec 02, 2016, 1:28 PM UTC

bastawhiz wrote: post #174

pilsetnieks wrote: post #170

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Individual users' data is very closely guarded internally. It's immensely difficult to look at user data without specific access. Overwhelmingly, this data is queried in aggregate and fed into machine learning systems. The risk of abuse is exceptionally low. It is impossible to take your word for it. After so, so many companies have been caught intentionally or unintentionally mishandling user data, there is no rea…

> It is impossible to take your word for it. I'm not asking you to. If you'd like to come in and interview for a position and eventually see for yourself, though, I'm happy to accept your résumé. :)

Post by RodericDay » Fri, Dec 02, 2016, 1:34 PM UTC

pjlegato wrote: post #137

electic wrote: post #100

There is something very powerful you can do: 1. Stop using uber. Delete it. There is Lyft and Juno (in select markets). 2. Tell your friends about the dangers of using Uber. You can make a profound change by voting with your pocket book. Lastly, believe it or not, a lot of your friends look to you for tech advice. Be vocal.

This is likely to work about as well as when a large number of tech people went around telling all their friends that Microsoft was evil in the 90s and early 2000s -- which is to say, not at all. Empirically, very few people care much about their own privacy, and they seem to be entirely uninterested in hearing sermons on the topic. It'd be great if that worked, but it doesn't, so that won't solve this problem.

Post by merb » Fri, Dec 02, 2016, 1:47 PM UTC

rmc wrote: post #365

kbart wrote: post #275

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"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…

> but costumers can't take their data back. For a US company, yes. For EU companies, the EU privacy law says you can only use the data for the original purposes, and based on what the person consented to. You can't grab all data (since that's overbroad), and "consent" can't just be "click through on legalese". If you're concerened about privacy, don't use US companies.