Everyone tells you to avoid weirdos following you by taking a taxi home after a night out. And make sure you ring a legit cab, too. But now it turns out that Uber, everyone's taxi go to, might not be as safe as you thought.
Uber have recently defended themselves following accusations of employees being able to spy on rides due to a lack of internal security. The firm recently settled a case in New York that claimed the ‘God View’ tool for drivers was used to monitor rides. Aka, let’s them see where you are even hours after the journey has ended.
The feature was taken off the app and Uber insisted it had strict policies against employees accessing users’ trip info (with limited exceptions) but since five former security professionals have told Reveal that access continued. Only it’s now called Heaven View.
Former forensic investigator, Ward Spangenberg, who made the allegations said ‘Uber’s lack of security regarding its customer data was resulting in Uber employees being able to track high-profile politicians, celebrities (including Beyonce), and even personal acquaintances of Uber employees, including ex-boyfriends/girlfriends, and ex-spouses’. Er, creepy.
A spokesman has denied that ‘all’ or ‘nearly all’ of Uber’s employees had access to customer data but thousands of employees have said they were able to get details of where and when each customer travels, which are more precise now the app tracks your location.
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This article originally appeared on The Debrief.