Ride the Lightning

Did Uber Staffers Spy on Celebrities and Ex-partners?

December 15, 2016

According to an Engadget story, as part of a wrongful termination lawsuit, ex-Uber engineer Ward Spangenberg stated that Uber didn't do enough to stop employees from spying on customers following the 'God View' probe. Reportedly, staffers used easily accessible trip data to snoop on the activities of everyone from celebrities to politicians and ex-partners. Sources for the Center for Investigative Reporting even claim that Uber relies primarily on "the honor system" to prevent abuse — allegedly, there's not much to stop a rogue worker from looking at your information.

Uber reportedly deleted files it was legally required to keep and encrypted computers in non-US offices to prevent police from getting information.

Uber pretty much denies it all, kit and caboodle.

But another former security engineer lent some credence to Spargenberg's claims, saying that Uber didn't properly enforce its policies.

Also, Spangenberg insists that he was asked to encrypt PCs during a Revenu Quebec tax evasion raid, and a judge noted that Uber appeared to be obstructing justice in that case. Hmmmm . . .

There's plenty of smoke here – and though the full truth is certainly not known, the likelihood of fire seems high to me.

Hat tip to Bill Menzie.

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