Uber employees have been accused of providing the personal information of the company’s customers to the wrong people. Stalkers and former boyfriends were reportedly given the whereabouts of private individuals at given times based on their Uber accounts.
Reveal News has quoted a former Uber forensic investigator who said that even celebrities like Beyonce had their personal information revealed. Ward Spangenberg stated in a court declaration, “Uber’s lack of security regarding its customer data was resulting in Uber employees being able to track high profile politicians, celebrities, and even personal acquaintances of Uber employees, including ex-boyfriends/girlfriends, and ex-spouses.”
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Uber staff 'used app to stalk ex-partners and celebrities' https://t.co/0R6IGUiC3T
— Evening Standard (@standardnews) December 13, 2016
Spangenberg is suing Uber for unlawful termination, saying that he was fired only because of his age. Spangenberg is 45. He further stated, “I also reported that Uber’s lack of security, and allowing all employees to access this information (as opposed to a small security team) was resulting in a violation of governmental regulations regarding data protection and consumer privacy rights.”
Uber responded to the charges in a statement saying, “We have hundreds of security and privacy experts working around the clock to protect our data.. This includes enforcing strict policies and technical controls to limit access to user data to authorized employees solely for purposes of their job responsibilities, and all potential violations are quickly and thoroughly investigated.”
This is yet another black eye for the ride share company which is still reeling from incidents of rape committed by its drivers around the world. And taxi driver associations have been lobbying governments to force Uber to also abide by all taxi regulations which it currently does not have to. The European Court is currently hearing a case on the matter and its ruling could upend Uber’s entire business model.
