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

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

npr.org

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

81–90 of 500 posts

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

#81

Post by mc32 »

JumpCrisscross wrote: post #39
baumant wrote: post #5

"Uber collects your location data from the time of trip request through five minutes after the trip ends, including when the app is in the background." From source listed in the article: https://help.uber.com/h/ba9dd342-158d-421f-a9ea-0e6c7aaad726

Counting down to the FBI NSL'ing [1] Uber for persistent, warrantless surveillance... [1] https://www.eff.org/issues/national-security-letters

Or in countries which have family registries it can be used to track people who fail to update the registry or move to a city illegally in places where intra-national movement is restricted.

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

#82

Post by bogomipz »

This from the company who recently settled a fine with the A.G in New York for uasge of its "god view" tool:

"Uber and New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman have reached a settlement over the company's "God View" tool, which allowed employees to access and track the location of Uber riders and customers without obtaining permission."

http://www.theverge.com/2016/1/6/10726004/uber-god-mode-sett...

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

#83

Post by uabstraction »

necessity wrote: post #11

PrivacyGuard and Orwall prevent applications from using the internet/GPS without your express authorization. Anyway if you want absolute privacy toss your smartphone in the trash can, cancel your contract with your ISP, commit social suicide and go live off the grid.

Imagine if the Founding Fathers decided to forgo western civilization and go live in the woods as nomadic hunter gatherers instead of standing up to British oppression... Or if all the blacks just listened to Marcus Garvey and went back to Africa instead of participating in the American Civil Rights Movement. This is basically what you're suggesting.

We have the technological means to ensure reasonable levels of privacy. There's no excuse for lemon technology that exposes every intimate detail of our lives.

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

#84

Post by amluto »

StavrosK wrote: post #70
amluto wrote: post #26

I really wish that both Android and iOS had an option to outright prevent an app from doing anything in the background. No sensors, no location, no push notifications, no network access, no CPU time, URL protocols, no nothing. If I don't click the little app icon, the app shouldn't run, full stop.

You can install Greenify to do exactly this. It helped me kill some pernicious apps that I needed once in a while but that would run all the time, killing my battery (I'm looking at you, Mi Fit). The only annoying and inexplicable thing is that some apps run their own background process for push notifications, rather than using GCM, so pushes stop coming in if you kill those.

I think it's ridiculous that you need an app to approximately control other background apps. Denying background access to the phone should be the default. Anything else should need a permission popup IMO.

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

#85

Post by bschwindHN »

bogomipz wrote: post #74
omarforgotpwd wrote: post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

it stays dead until the system decides to reload it. It may decide to do this for various reasons such a entering a geofence, significant location update, or push notification. But turning off background app refresh should prevent all of these things from turning on your app I think. Also low power mode can also be used as a sort of incognito mode because it stops all background activity to preserve battery.

>" It may decide to do this for various reasons such a entering a geofence..." Can you elaborate on this? Whats the connection with relaunching and a geofence?

I haven't worked with goefences, but I'm guessing you can tell the OS you're interested in receiving particular geofence events such as when a user enters one. So the OS will relaunch apps which subscribed to those events so they can act on it.

Someone who has actually worked with geofences, please correct me if I'm wrong.

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

#86

Post by cmontella »

TheSpiceIsLife wrote: post #37
melvinmt wrote: post #8

> Uber collects your location data from the time of trip request through five minutes after ends trip ends, including when the app is in the background. We do this to improve pickups, drop-offs, customer service, and to enhance safety. Meh, sounds reasonable as long as they don't collect data outside this window (although they should not make it all-or-nothing, a third option of "While in use" would be better).

This is how the Overton Window shifts. Trouble is, now I have to walk 5 minutes in the opposite direction before turning around and meeting my dealer / going to the brothel / whatever you don't want posted on paste bin. Another issue arises when a "bug" records your location for 5 hours instead of 5 minutes.

Yup, which is a strong possibility for Uber. I had an Uber charge me for a ride that continued for 12 hours after I had been dropped off. Uber had no problem billing me >$300 for this. If they don't have safeguards in place for questionable fare collection, they surely don't have safeguards in place for questionable data collection.

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

#87

Post by free2rhyme214 »

forrestthewoods wrote: post #19

I ranted about this last weekend. No app, positively no app, gets "always" access to my location info. I don't care what their "privacy policy" says. I'm annoyed Apple even allows this. It shouldn't even be an option. Clearly iOS needs more fine tuned permissions. I can share my location with a friend for an hour. I'd Uber wants 5 minutes worth then they should be granted 5 minutes worth. Not infinite and unlimited.…

Agreed. I deleted Waze yesterday and set Uber to "Never" until they fix this.

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

#88

Post by ipqk »

dav43 wrote: post #7

This is the perfect example of development for the sake of development. The new user experience is terrible and provides the user with zero extra benefits. I seriously can't see how a product manager signs off on these updates.

I live in NYC with a lot of one-way streets, including my home. I actually use two different addresses for my home depending on whether I'm being picked-up or dropped-off. Otherwise, when being dropped off, Uber has sent me on some really odd detours just to get me exactly in front of my house. Instead, I'd rather get dropped off at a corner and walk 200 feet.

In theory, by collecting the location data 5 minutes after, they can get a sense of this where and to whom this happens, and automatically correct for it. I don't know if it'll work, but if it does, it'll definitely be a benefit to me.

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

#89

Post by ocdtrekkie »

amluto wrote: post #26

I really wish that both Android and iOS had an option to outright prevent an app from doing anything in the background. No sensors, no location, no push notifications, no network access, no CPU time, URL protocols, no nothing. If I don't click the little app icon, the app shouldn't run, full stop.

I want effectively a phone that works like Sandstorm. :) If I want it to have a right outside itself, I'll grant it.

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

#90

Post by baddox »

duaneb wrote: post #59
yladiz wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, but why does Uber need/care about that information? If I ask to be dropped off at X and walk a couple blocks to Y, Uber shouldn't care. I can understand the argument that maybe going to certain buildings you have to be dropped off at a specific spot, but that seems like a minor gain for something that's more than just a minor intrusion.

They don't need the information. They care because they are data driven and not personally culpable for their invasions of privacy. Why not collect everything you can without getting more permissions?

You seem to be implying that they are violating privacy just for the heck of it. That's ignoring the very obvious value (even to customers) of this specific type of data. As the other commenter mentioned, knowing where humans choose to be dropped off when heading to a specific location is of obvious value.
Post reply on HN