Uber Employees Have Been Able to Track Everyone's Locations This Whole Time
Uber isn't exactly known for its stellar reputation as far as passenger privacy is concerned — and today's revelation that staffers have been able to track passengers' whereabouts this whole time isn't helping.
According to court documents, Ward Spangenberg, a forensic investigator for Uber from March 2015 through February 2016, is suing the company for wrongful termination, age discrimination and defamation. In his lawsuit, Spangenberg claims Uber employees have the ability to track sensitive passenger information, including the locations of its users — everyone ranging from ex-girlfriends to politicians, celebrities (like Beyonce) and other public figures. The court documents also indicate that Uber collected driver information, which employees have access to as well.
"When I was at the company, you could stalk an ex or look up anyone's ride with the flimsiest of justifications," Spangenberg told Reveal News. According to Spangenberg, Uber deleted files it was required to keep and encrypted computers in its foreign Uber offices to keep authorities from investigating.
This isn't the first shocking revelation about Uber's privacy policy (or lack thereof). In fact, just earlier this month, the ride-share service announced it was going to collect riders' locations for up to five minutes after being dropped off, something that was not welcome news for many. It'll be interesting to see how Uber handles this situation and if the company makes any noticeable changes to its security settings in the near future.
H/T: Mashable
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