Uber developed secret system to lock down staff computers in a police raid

mkirklions wrote: post #2

I can't even fault Uber for doing this. Governments are not friendly. They have seized billion dollar factories for their own use. I only imagine a trivial tax problem would give a corrupt government the opportunity to seize assets.

If it were any company other than Uber, you would not even have heard about it. Think what one will about Uber (and my thoughts are admittedly not positive), it's not like the gummint has a stellar track record on raiding only guilty parties. IOW, I find this no more unusual than, say, keeping your servers patched.

Maybe Uber's hiding stuff? Yeah, maybe they are. But when the government comes in and grabs all your shit, they get the upper hand while it's all sorted out. Violated the 4th Amendment? Yeah, that's too bad, we're really sorry about that, we promise to unsift what we've already sifted through. It's easier if the stuff is just locked down to begin with, then after the raid we can make sure our warrants are in order, you actually have the right company, and you're just generally allowed to do this, then we can unlock the machines with smiles on our faces.

Re: Uber developed secret system to lock down staff computers in a police raid

#5

Post by mankash666 » Fri, Jan 12, 2018, 10:25 PM UTC

It's common for Corporations operating across borders to have such systems in place. When countries disagree, they often take it out on companies domiciled in the perceived offending territory.

Re: Uber developed secret system to lock down staff computers in a police raid

#6

Post by bigheadpercoli » Sat, Jan 13, 2018, 12:28 AM UTC

mkirklions wrote: post #2

I can't even fault Uber for doing this. Governments are not friendly. They have seized billion dollar factories for their own use. I only imagine a trivial tax problem would give a corrupt government the opportunity to seize assets.

How can you not fault Uber for this? There is a rule of law in this country that has to be observed. Furthermore, it clearly shows intent to cover up illegal activities.

Re: Uber developed secret system to lock down staff computers in a police raid

#7

Post by akira2501 » Sat, Jan 13, 2018, 3:03 AM UTC

mikestew wrote: post #4

mkirklions wrote: post #2

I can't even fault Uber for doing this. Governments are not friendly. They have seized billion dollar factories for their own use. I only imagine a trivial tax problem would give a corrupt government the opportunity to seize assets.

If it were any company other than Uber, you would not even have heard about it. Think what one will about Uber (and my thoughts are admittedly not positive), it's not like the gummint has a stellar track record on raiding only guilty parties. IOW, I find this no more unusual than, say, keeping your servers patched. Maybe Uber's hiding stuff? Yeah, maybe they are. But when the government comes in and grabs all your sh…

> we promise to unsift what we've already sifted through.

The government is not Uber's competition, and actually has interest in them existing as they can collect taxes from them. It's not appropriate to view it through an "adversarial" lens.

Re: Uber developed secret system to lock down staff computers in a police raid

#8

Post by [deleted] » Sat, Jan 13, 2018, 4:26 AM UTC

bigheadpercoli wrote: post #6

mkirklions wrote: post #2

I can't even fault Uber for doing this. Governments are not friendly. They have seized billion dollar factories for their own use. I only imagine a trivial tax problem would give a corrupt government the opportunity to seize assets.

How can you not fault Uber for this? There is a rule of law in this country that has to be observed. Furthermore, it clearly shows intent to cover up illegal activities.

[deleted]

Re: Uber developed secret system to lock down staff computers in a police raid

#9

Post by Bogdanovich » Sat, Jan 13, 2018, 8:08 AM UTC

akira2501 wrote: post #7

mikestew wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If it were any company other than Uber, you would not even have heard about it. Think what one will about Uber (and my thoughts are admittedly not positive), it's not like the gummint has a stellar track record on raiding only guilty parties. IOW, I find this no more unusual than, say, keeping your servers patched. Maybe Uber's hiding stuff? Yeah, maybe they are. But when the government comes in and grabs all your sh…

> we promise to unsift what we've already sifted through. The government is not Uber's competition, and actually has interest in them existing as they can collect taxes from them. It's not appropriate to view it through an "adversarial" lens.

Not all government officials and police officers are the same. Have you heard of Magnitskiy scandal in Russia? TL/DR: police had given the materials taken during the police raids to organized criminals, who used them to fraudulently reclaim $230m of the taxes previously paid by the company.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sergei_Magnitsky#Exposing_the_...

Re: Uber developed secret system to lock down staff computers in a police raid

#10

Post by dbuder » Sat, Jan 13, 2018, 9:17 AM UTC

mkirklions wrote: post #2

I can't even fault Uber for doing this. Governments are not friendly. They have seized billion dollar factories for their own use. I only imagine a trivial tax problem would give a corrupt government the opportunity to seize assets.

Uber is more than a trivial tax problem, it is a clear attempt to avoid tax by hook or by crook. Uber has the ethics of the french secret service, ie none.