Uber Drivers Can Track You if You Agree

Uber, the car sharing phenomenon that has taken the world by storm; has recently updated its terms and conditions to include a new tracking feature for the drivers. This new tracking will allow swifter and more efficient pick-ups as the driver will always know where you are; it will be more accurate than just placing a pin and hoping for the best.

This follows an external review of Uber’s privacy policy prompted by some PR issues involving customer privacy. “If you recall, some Uber employees used the “God View” tracker embedded in the app to spy on the whereabouts of a Buzzfeed reporter and a high-profile venture capitalist last year. All its corporate employees (but not its drivers) reportedly had access to God View and could monitor a user’s activities. Let’s not forget the time an exec made a remark about hiring a team to dig up personal dirt on journalists that criticize the service, as well.”

Along with those changes, this new privacy update list the kind of data it wants to collect from its customers. It makes very clear that it wants to keep records of your transactions, including frequency, cost, distance travelled, etc… and also gathers some information about your device such as make, model, network, etc. Along with that, Uber also wants to collect data of your contacts to provide targeted marketing to them.

This new update will take place on July 15th, so expect some permission pop-ups. If you decide not to activate the new features; Uber stated that the app will work as it currently does.

Thank you to engadget for providing us with this information.