How Uber Used Secret “Greyball” Tool to Deceive Authorities Worldwide

Post by TeMPOraL » Sat, Mar 04, 2017, 8:57 AM UTC

aantix wrote: post #635

sdenton4 wrote: post #631

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Everyone gets to experience fancy VC subsidized rides, in any case. I don't see any clear argument that uber is actually more economically efficient than a standard cab...

My time is worth something; standing on a corner at 3pm, checking the time, calling the main office - "oh yeah, he's five minutes away", 45 minutes still waiting, call again.. With Uber/Lyft, I can see when they'll arrive. I can plan to do something with that time if the wait is long enough. I can quickly redirect them to where I am if there's a misunderstanding. Yes, it's more efficient.

Post by TeMPOraL » Sat, Mar 04, 2017, 9:03 AM UTC

aantix wrote: post #611

azernik wrote: post #582

Earlier quoted context omitted.

She was not, as far as I understand, opposed to laws just because they are laws. She had very specific moral objections to very specific laws. Anti-racism != anarchism.

Uber is... Anarchy? Like in the movie Thunderdome? Sure. Their opposition wasn't arbitrary; they knew they could provide a better service outside the monopolistic constraints that were already in place. So they fought those battles and because of those battles, everyone gets to experience a much better ride service than the antiquated taxi system.

Post by [deleted] » Sat, Mar 04, 2017, 9:14 AM UTC

aantix wrote: post #570

TeMPOraL wrote: post #477

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And here I thought that's just teenagers "who fit the techno-libertarian or cypherpunk mentality", and only until they finally grow up. The mindset you're describing is pretty self-centered and ignorant of how societies work. The law is there to reconcile conflicting interest so that people don't start using violence to pursue their goals. Techno-libertarian teenagers should imagine what would happen if some people t…

How dare Rosa Parks defiantly take a seat at the front of the bus.. How could she be so self-centered and... adolescent?

Post by elmar » Sat, Mar 04, 2017, 9:17 AM UTC

us0r wrote: post #182

SilasX wrote: post #111

It took me about 8 paragraphs in to figure out what Greyball is, so to save you the time: Uber used various data sources to identify which people are likely government officials who are trying to collect incriminating data on them, and then blocks them from the service so they can't be caught in sting operations. But there's a lot in the article that doesn't make sense: >Other techniques included looking at the user’…

Maybe not a popular opinion but I find this entire thing pure genius. >I couldn't find a good source, but it doesn't seem like that's something a CC merchant would have access to. Do they really get to see that? The first 6 digits of a credit card can identify the issuing bank (BIN number - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Payment_card_number ). If you ask your merchant they can readily provide you and up to date list.…

Post by xg15 » Sat, Mar 04, 2017, 9:35 AM UTC

yummyfajitas wrote: post #430

xg15 wrote: post #418

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You make a distinction between staying passive and not helping an investigation (the drugs example) - and actively deterring the investigation (the flight example). That's a valid distinction to make, however given how much development effort companies like Uber and VW invested in their tools, I think those are clear cases of active deferring.

I'm not a lawyer, but I think you are making the wrong distinction. Fleeing a police officer is explicitly illegal, I believe the crime is resisting arrest or something equivalent. Actively telling all your hooker friends to stay home because the cops are out is not illegal. Nor is it illegal to say "oh hi there officer" before your hooker friend propositions a cop. That's basically what Uber did.