Uber is tracking my battery status, all the time

#1

Post by punnerud » Sun, May 22, 2016, 12:42 PM UTC

I looked into the HTTPS-trafic from the Uber-app (with MITMproxy) and it is one of the few apps I have found

that is sending my battery and charging status on a regular basis:

          "battery_status": "unplugged",
          "battery_level": 0.73,

Re: Uber is tracking my battery status, all the time

#2

Post by nibs » Sun, May 22, 2016, 1:00 PM UTC

I use m.uber.com - I am almost certain it does not have this permissions ability. Bonus: it works on desktop too.

Re: Uber is tracking my battery status, all the time

#3

Post by Gys » Sun, May 22, 2016, 1:29 PM UTC

They have a good argument for doing so...

http://thenextweb.com/insider/2016/05/20/uber-riders-will-pa...

A similar article was posted here a few days ago.

Re: Uber is tracking my battery status, all the time

#4

Post by marklyon » Sun, May 22, 2016, 2:15 PM UTC

nibs wrote: post #2

I use m.uber.com - I am almost certain it does not have this permissions ability. Bonus: it works on desktop too.

On Android (both Android Browser and Chrome), battery information is accessible. http://caniuse.com/#feat=battery-status

I believe there's a similar option for iOS Safari, but I can't find it immediately.

Re: Uber is tracking my battery status, all the time

#5

Post by Arcten » Sun, May 22, 2016, 4:40 PM UTC

Possibly being used to track battery usage by the app, so that they can provide a better experience for users.

Re: Uber is tracking my battery status, all the time

#6

Post by trowawee » Sun, May 22, 2016, 5:34 PM UTC

Gys wrote: post #3

They have a good argument for doing so... http://thenextweb.com/insider/2016/05/20/uber-riders-will-pa... A similar article was posted here a few days ago.

That is not a good argument. That is an asshole invasion of user privacy.

Re: Uber is tracking my battery status, all the time

#7

Post by id122015 » Sun, May 22, 2016, 5:40 PM UTC

I've just read today somewhere that if your battery is runing low, the higher fees you are likely to pay for services like Uber. Do you get why? Think for a moment before reading the answer... ... ... Because how could you order a cheap taxi when your battery is dead. You have an urgency and someone wants to profit from it. Like those who sell food in the airport. Like that locksmith who overcharges you if you lock yourself in, and so on..

Re: Uber is tracking my battery status, all the time

#8

Post by Gys » Sun, May 22, 2016, 6:01 PM UTC

trowawee wrote: post #6

Gys wrote: post #3

They have a good argument for doing so... http://thenextweb.com/insider/2016/05/20/uber-riders-will-pa... A similar article was posted here a few days ago.

That is not a good argument. That is an asshole invasion of user privacy.

Sorry, I meant that in a sarcastic way

Re: Uber is tracking my battery status, all the time

#9

Post by paxunix » Sun, May 22, 2016, 6:02 PM UTC

Gys wrote: post #3

They have a good argument for doing so... http://thenextweb.com/insider/2016/05/20/uber-riders-will-pa... A similar article was posted here a few days ago.

That is not a good argument at all. It's a side-effect of collecting metrics. Uber has no reason to know the battery status of my phone--them knowing it will not help them improve service to me in any way.

Re: Uber is tracking my battery status, all the time

#10

Post by trowawee » Sun, May 22, 2016, 6:27 PM UTC

Gys wrote: post #8

trowawee wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That is not a good argument. That is an asshole invasion of user privacy.

Sorry, I meant that in a sarcastic way

Ah, my apologies. I'm so used to seeing people actually making these arguments.