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Real-Life Example of Uber's Regulator-Evading Software

posted by cmn32480 on Monday September 18 2017, @07:47AM   Printer-friendly
from the I-don't-have-to-accept-your-business dept.

MrPlow writes:

Submitted via IRC for SoyCow5743

Portland, Oregon, was one of the cities we mentioned where Uber employed the so-called "Greyball" tool. The city has now released a scathing report detailing that Uber evaded picking up 16 local officials for a ride before April 2015, when the service finally won approval by Portland regulators.

The Greyball software employs a dozen data points on a new user in a given market, including whether a rider's Uber app is opened repeatedly in or around municipal offices, which credit card is linked to the account, and any publicly available information about the new user on social media. If the data suggests the new user is a regulator in a market where Uber is not permitted, the company would present that user with false information about where Uber rides are. This includes showing ghost cars or no cars in the area.

The city concluded that, when Uber started operating in the city in December 2014 without Portland's authorization, the Greyball tool blocked 17 rider accounts. Sixteen of those were government employees. In all, Greyball denied 29 ride requests by city transportation enforcement officers.

Source: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2017/09/heres-a-real-life-slimy-example-of-ubers-regulator-evading-software/

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  • (Score: 1, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 18 2017, @08:58AM (4 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 18 2017, @08:58AM (#569673)

    So, criminal enterprise, eh? Nice you can call it "disruptive technology", but how is Greyballing any different than yelling "La Migra!" in a crowded sweatshop?

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  • (Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 18 2017, @09:00AM (2 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 18 2017, @09:00AM (#569676)

    I'm not sure if that's the most awkward strawman I've ever read, or is just inherently incoherent. Can you string together a more clear statement?

    • (Score: 2, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 18 2017, @04:18PM (1 child)

      by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 18 2017, @04:18PM (#569788)

      Just because you are having software direct your illegal employees, sorry, "unlicensed contractors", away from the officials charged with regulating them instead of shouting a warning when Immigration authorities are about to "regulate" all your illegal immigrant employees whom you have no idea how they became your employees in the first place, perhaps you would prefer a straw car analogy, which might be more coherently inherent?

  • (Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 18 2017, @05:07PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 18 2017, @05:07PM (#569812)

    but how is Greyballing any different than yelling "La Migra!" in a crowded sweatshop?

    Because they are part of corporate America. Executives don't get charged with crimes; they get promotions, reassignments or retirement packages.