An independent auditor will be assessing the new, more severe controls set in place by Uber every couple years for the next 20 Years to gauge their effectiveness. The Charges brought on Uber are due to a software program named God View observe that had allowed Uber to closely observe movements of its drivers and customers in real-time.

The company will face penalties if it does not follow the new regulations.

Privacy Breach by Uber

The God View program brought Uber under the US Federal Trade Commission’s notice when the media brought forward contention against it in 2014.

During the investigation, Uber create an auto-program for observing the access employees may have to the private data of its customer and driver.

The FTC claimed, however, that this new system was hung only 8 months post being brought about. A 2015 privacy breach that leaked the private details of over 100,000 of its drivers also raised major concerns.

Maureen Ohlhausen, the FTC acting chairman who presided over the privacy breach settlement had noted that Uber had not lived up to its promises to its users in two major ways; by not clearly defining the degree to which it placed checks on the access its employees had to private data of both customers and drivers, and by wrongly stating that it had placed judicious control on the data security.

Ohlhausen stated that they were ordering Uber to make sensitivity to user privacy a part of its company culture and make the company take privacy into regard each day.

Uber responded that it was glad that the investigation was over.

Their representative was quoted to say that they have considerably improved their privacy and information security applications post the investigation and are continually investing in improving these systems.

Other allegations for Uber

Lee Munson, a Comparitech security researcher has said that whilst the FTC restrictions might seem difficult, Uber would, in the long run, stand to benefit from the stand point of the new EU General Data Protection Regulation that has threatened to impose fines and forfeits on companies that are careless with customer and employee personal details.

Besides the FTC investigation, Uber has also been faced with a spate of allegations and court cases.

The New York attorney general has also previously sued Uber over its God View program, and allegations attached to it. Uber had accepted the new regulation of encrypting the geolocation data of all its riders, in addition to paying a $20m fine to settle the contentions against it, and its handling of the privacy breach.

The FTC has ordered the company another fine of $20m, to settle claims that they have deceived its drivers on their potential incomes.

Ward Spangenberg, Uber’s former forensic investigator, has sued them for discriminating against its employees based on their age, and for retaliating against his whistleblowing.

Spangenberg had declared in court on December 2016 that the company was letting its personnel spy on its ex-partners and celebrities.
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