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Uber is beginning to track the locations of riders up to five minutes after a ride has ended:
As promised, Uber is now tracking you even when your ride is over. The ride-hailing service said the surveillance—even when riders close the app—will improve its service.
The company now tracks customers from when they request a ride until five minutes after the ride has ended. According to Uber, the move will help drivers locate riders without having to call them, and it will also allow Uber to analyze whether people are being dropped off and picked up properly—like on the correct side of the street.
"We do this to improve pickups, drop-offs, customer service, and to enhance safety," Uber said.
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Uber Now Tracking Users After the Ride is Over
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Either I'm dead or my watch has stopped.
-- Groucho Marx's last words
(Score: 5, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Monday December 05 2016, @03:05PM
We do this to invade privacy.
The passenger is with the Uber driver, s/he can tell the driver exactly where s/he wants to be dropped off. What if the passenger wants to be dropped off a distance away from their final destination for privacy reasons?
The app should not be tracking people after it is closed, I'm surprised smartphones even allow for this. The user should have to give prior permission for such a 'feature' and it should be opt-in.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by Runaway1956 on Monday December 05 2016, @03:37PM
Yep. Got to agree with you.
There is no Uber anywhere near me, so naturally I don't use them. But, this would make my mind up to never use them again. I don't really care very much what their reasons are - there is no good reason to track my old ass. If someone is following me a crowd, I know he means me no good. If someone wants to follow me online/electronically, I know he means me no good. The bastard wants to profit off of me, and it's almost certainly dishonest.
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Monday December 05 2016, @04:10PM
If someone is following me a crowd, I know he means me no good. If someone wants to follow me online/electronically, I know he means me no good. The bastard wants to profit off of me, and it's almost certainly dishonest.
But this isn't some stranger, it's big brother who is physically tracking your movements so they can tell if you stopped in a store, etc after you've left the car (so they can sell that information to anyone who wants it, including law enforcement). BTW, who believes they only track you for "5 minutes"? What prevents them from tracking you all day, every day?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday December 05 2016, @04:52PM
BTW, who believes they only track you for "5 minutes"? What prevents them from tracking you all day, every day?
You've got your answer right there...
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Monday December 05 2016, @04:59PM
You've got your answer right there...
Right where? How do you know where I am?? Are you tracking me???
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Monday December 05 2016, @05:44PM
It's not MY big brother. Probably EF's big brother . . . .
(Score: 1) by Scruffy Beard 2 on Monday December 05 2016, @07:21PM
Tracking you everywhere everyday can be a larger drain on that battery: especially if the GPS radio is powered up.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday December 05 2016, @08:18PM
Maybe they meant to say "every five minutes" rather than "for five minutes."
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Thexalon on Monday December 05 2016, @03:45PM
More specifically, they probably think this information would be valuable to law enforcement, advertisers, or other third parties.
The only thing that stops a bad guy with a compiler is a good guy with a compiler.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday December 05 2016, @06:17PM
Note to self: Do not take Uber next time I'm robbing a bank.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday December 05 2016, @10:35PM
Or if you're an activist, a journalist, a lawyer challenging the government, a dissident, someone's political opponent, a whistleblower, or someone else who plays a critical role in democracy. Do you think it's only the 'bad guys' who should be worried about tracking?
(Score: 2) by Phoenix666 on Tuesday December 06 2016, @06:05AM
If you are one of those people, you ought to know better by now because your life depends on it. All you have to do is leave the cellphone in your office/home. See? I was working in the office/home with my family the whole time.
Washington DC delenda est.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday December 06 2016, @04:54AM
You certainly won't wanna involve Uber in cheating on your spouse.
Your spouse's PI will dig this up, and it will be grounds for divorce, with full alimony payments and forfeiture of all of your assets, up to and including your ass.
(Score: 4, Informative) by WillR on Monday December 05 2016, @04:31PM
The user should have to give prior permission for such a 'feature' and it should be opt-in.
They do. What pissed off Uber users here is that the location permission used to be a tristate (No, Yes, Only when app is active). The last app update removed the "only when active" option, so now your choices are "Uber doesn't work" and "Uber can track me anywhere at any time even when I'm not using their app".
(Score: 2) by Anal Pumpernickel on Monday December 05 2016, @10:32PM
People shouldn't be giving their names to Uber to begin with. The service is garbage because you can't anonymously pay with cash.
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Monday December 05 2016, @11:01PM
How many times have I been creeped out by a cab driver and told them to drop me off somewhere a block or two away from my final destination? More than twice, at least. I live down a long, private, shared driveway - if I'm asking you to drop me at the main road it's because I don't want you seeing my home, my cars, or anything connecting your fare to my personal life.
I get that Uber drivers are basically hobbyists who do this for less than zero net remuneration (after you factor in the true cost of driving to the fare and driving away, including insurance, maintenance and depreciation of the vehicle.) That really doesn't give the "Uber Corp" any license to get valuable data from me without my consent. I guess if I ever do hail an Uber, I'll be bringing along a conductive sack to slip my phone into after the ride is over.
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday December 06 2016, @06:52AM
> I'm surprised smartphones even allow for this.
Well, I've heard this QUIT button is so old-school and unnecessary so it was removed from Android apps.