Uber is spying on driver smartphones -- privacy invasion or reasonable safety tool?
If you give an inch, people can take a mile. This old adage can be good advice when it comes to privacy. Some people may decry a privacy advocate's efforts with the cliche "if you have nothing to hide" argument, but that is poor logic. Look, even if you are following the law, your privacy should be looked at as sacred. Fight for it, y'all.
Today, Uber announces that it is tracking its drivers' smartphone data. At first glance, you might be up in arms. With that said, the company is claiming it is for the benefit of its customers. So, is it right, or wrong?
How the Internet has forever changed five major industries
The digital revolution has resulted in disruption to many industries, with whole new business models created, new brands rising to the top of many industries and those companies failing to adapt, falling by the wayside.
The digital age has impacted industries in both goods and service -- from travel and transport, to publishing, retail and music. The switch from physical to digital has revolutionized both the production and distribution of books and music.
Uber hits 1 billion rides -- celebrates by donating to charity
As a Long Islander, I regularly make trips to NYC. While many people in the world dream of visiting the famed city, it is something I probably take for granted. Truth be told, Manhattan is a rather magical place -- usually.
When a destination in NYC is too far for walking, I will splurge on a taxi -- the subway can be a headache. Unfortunately, it can sometimes be hard to hail a cab; especially in the rain. It is for this reason that Uber has been a godsend. You can use your smartphone to request a ride without the stress. Today, that company announces it has now delivered over 1 billion rides. This is a monumental milestone, and the trendy company is celebrating by donating some of its loot to charity.
The expectations of instant service: Uber-important
We live in the "instant service" era, ushered in by constantly changing on-demand technologies. Businesses, across verticals, that are technologically nimble and harness the power of "instant" are among the success stories. Uber, Instacart (instant groceries) and Drizly (instant alcohol) are examples of companies that swooped in with instant service models, and now it’s a consumer expectation. CEOs and startups that aren’t figuring out a way to incorporate "instant" into business strategies -- whether it’s the core of the model, or a design principle for building out product features or communication with customers -- won’t remain competitive. Investors are keener than ever to it, and the money doesn’t lie -- instant service is what comes to mind when perusing the largest startup funding rounds of the last two years.
But, entrepreneurs and startups need to differentiate between the hype and real business opportunities in the tech landscape to establish lasting power. It takes a combination of flexibility, on-demand service, convenience and transparency to catch fire with an audience after instant gratification -- and to catch the eye of investors.
India wants to regulate ride-sharing apps
India has proposed a set of rules aimed at regulating ridesharing apps such as Uber. The rules will see the tech companies operate more like traditional taxi fleets, a move which will probably please other taxi companies in the country.
India’s Ministry of Road Transport and Highways released the guidelines proposal, which suggests all cars run by these companies should have an emergency button and an in-app feature to call the police.
Uber blames Lyft CTO for data theft
Uber is laying blame for the February 2015 hack and data theft on none other than its main competitor -- Lyft.
Back in February 2015, someone broke into Uber’s servers and stole data of more than 50,000 its drivers, and now Uber claims the thief’s IP address points to Lyft’s chief of technology Chris Lambert.
New London transport rules could spell trouble for Uber
Transport for London will propose a new set of rules which are designed to address the cabs vs Uber struggle. The way rules are set, it seems as Uber is in for a bumpy ride.
Documents seen by the Telegraph reveal that London’s transport body is due to consult on new proposals for private hire companies that would ban some of Uber’s key features.
'Glitch' to blame for Uber customers getting overcharged
Uber has said that a system glitch was to blame for a number of customers who were massively overcharged for their rides over this past weekend.
Users of the service in the UK and also the US were apparently affected, according to a report in the Telegraph, with complaints popping up on Twitter. A number of folks complained of being charged around £70-£80 for very short trips that shouldn’t have been much more than a tenner.
Your Uber driver might be a convicted felon
Even though Uber prides itself on the extensive background-checking of its drivers, it is now being accused that some of its drivers are convicted felons.
According to a report by Sky News, a complaint was filed by the San Francisco district attorney’s office, in which it was said that one of the drivers is a convicted murderer who spent 26 years in prison before being released on parole in 2008.
Uber wants to keep your data safe, so it's quadrupling its security staff
Uber intends to quadruple its security staff by the end of 2015, from 25 to 100 full-time staff members. This investment comes a few months after hiring ex-Facebook chief security officer Joe Sullivan to work as security chief for the mobile cab firm.
The security staff will make back-end data even more secure, while also protecting customers and drivers on the road. Uber is also working on security for staff in volatile countries like China, India and France.
Uber shows phantom cabs on taxi map
You know all those little car icons you see when you open up your Uber app? All those little cabs in close proximity, just waiting to pick you up?
Well, they might be fake. Researchers from think-tank Data & Society said the cars shown to be very close to you could be fake, but the arrival times are still accurate.
When in Istanbul, Uber lets you hail a boat
Uber is planning to add boats to its growing list of travel services, which now include all variety of cars alongside a growing delivery service for merchants and food.
Named UberBOAT, the service will be available first in Istanbul, Turkey. The city is famous for the Bosphorus, the connection between Asia and Europe, split by a strait.
Lawsuit fights Uber's user location tracking plans
Uber has faced numerous complaints since its inception in 2010, including suggestions that drivers are not properly vetted. Now the taxi service is facing legal action over plans to track the location of its customers whether the app is running in the foreground or background on their phones.
The new policy is due to come into force on July 15, but the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) has filed a complaint with the FTC saying that the policy change is unfair and should be investigated by the commission. It will be possible to opt out of this location tracking, but EPIC feels this is unreasonable.
Uber puts passengers at risk with a flawed driver-approval process
Uber, the San Francisco-based private taxi firm, is putting its passengers in grave danger. The company uses a computerized driver sign-up system that can be easily fooled into authorizing drives with fake insurance papers. The transport network exploded onto the scene a few years ago, and a whistleblower claims that it is all too easy to cheat the system making it possible for virtually anyone to sign up to be an Uber driver.
The vulnerability was found to have been exploited in London where there are around 15,000 Uber drivers in operation. The scam has been demonstrated by The Guardian who worked with a whistleblower to fraudulently sign up as a driver. It was achieved using fabricated insurance papers from a made up company with a fake letterhead.
Uber's adding 'hundreds of thousands' of new drivers monthly
Uber made some impressive announcements at its San Francisco headquarters for the fifth anniversary of the mobile taxi service. Chief executive Travis Kalanick revealed one million drivers have worked on Uber and it is adding "hundreds of thousands" of new drivers every month.
The ramp on Uber’s growth is massive, steadily moving upward from 2010 to 2013 and escalating in 2013 and 2014 to massive heights. It has 26,000 active drivers in New York, more than the entire Medallion workforce and its San Francisco drivers make more revenue than the entire taxi industry in the city.
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