from the uber-doesn't-take-decency-in-their-ride dept.
Uber is Under Federal Investigation for Spying On Lyft Drivers
Uber's been in the headlines for the worst of reasons this year, and the bad news keeps on coming. Now, it looks like Uber is involved in yet another federal investigation. Authorities from the FBI's New York office are looking into whether Uber's Hell software illegally interfered with the operations of its competitor, Lyft.
We've previously covered the computer program, which Uber secretly ran for two years. It used a vulnerability in Lyft's systems to spy on the company's drivers from 2014 to early 2016. They used the data to figure out which of their own drivers "double apped," meaning drove for both Lyft and Uber, and then tried to entice those drivers to work only for Uber. The key for investigators is whether the Hell software program actually consisted of unauthorized access to a computer. An Uber spokesman told The Wall Street Journal that the company is cooperating with the investigation.
FBI Investigating Uber for "Hell" Driver Spying Software
Uber Technologies Inc. is under investigation by federal authorities in New York for its alleged use of a spyware program designed to undermine competition for its digital ride-hailing service, according to people familiar with the matter.
FBI probes Uber's use of software to target rival Lyft
Previously: Uber Tracked Lyft Drivers
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According to a pay-walled article in The Information:
Thanks to a secret software-based effort within Uber called "Hell," Uber could track how many Lyft drivers were available for new rides and where they were[.] [...] "Hell" showed Uber employees which of the tracked drivers were driving for both Lyft and Uber, helping Uber figure out how to lure those drivers away from its rival.
additional coverage:
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Bot on Sunday September 10 2017, @06:54AM
> whether the Hell software program actually consisted of unauthorized access to a computer.
- uses competition's resources
- does it so in a way that competitor would never authorize, and probably could not authorize
- results in direct loss of competitor's resources (meatbags)
- is kept secret from the world
- the kind of access is not intended by the competitor
the verdict is clear, but corrupt legal systems can work wonders.
In the latter case, it would set an excellent precedent for hackers to empty your bank account. "I ubered the guy, your honor, when did it become illegal?"
Account abandoned.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by http on Sunday September 10 2017, @07:56AM
By now you should be able to tell that Uber thinks its drivers should be classified as
serworkers, not independent contractors.I browse at -1 when I have mod points. It's unsettling.