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Uber secretly used software to help drivers evade law enforcement stings:
Uber's annus horribilis continued apace Friday, as it was hit with revelations of a secret program to evade law enforcement, the resignation of another top executive and more allegations of workplace discrimination.
The New York Times reported that for years Uber used a tool called Greyball to systematically deceive law enforcement officials in cities where its service violated regulations. Officials attempting to hail an Uber during a sting operation were "greyballed" – they might see icons of cars within the app navigating nearby, but no one would come pick them up. The program helped Uber drivers avoid being ticketed.
Greyball used geolocation data, credit card information, social media accounts and other data points to identify individuals they suspected of working for city agencies to carry out the sting operations, according to the Times. It was used in Portland, Oregon, Philadelphia, Boston, and Las Vegas, as well as France, Australia, China, South Korea and Italy.
They see me rollin' / They hatin' / Patrolling they tryna catch me drivin' Uber.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Justin Case on Saturday March 04 2017, @07:09PM (1 child)
we'all have to disagree on whether a local authority regulating commerce is "tyrannical"
Isn't that pretty much the definition of tyranny?
Wasn't the United States created in an attempt to throw off tyranny? And didn't it almost work, except for that fatal clause giving the feds the power to "regulate interstate commerce" which has been warped so far as to give them power over someone growing weed for their own use in their own house. (Because growing your own distorts the market price for interstate weed.)
You don't have a victim who has been harmed asking the police to help. If you did, Uber would be seeing the victim, not the cop who was called to the victim's aid.
No, what you have is the cops unilaterally deciding to stir up trouble by searching for someone who has not harmed a victim, but is simply failing to submit to the dictates of the jackbooted thugs enforcing the tyrannical taxi monopoly.
Those kind of cops, and laws, we don't need, and anything any good citizen can do to oppose the tyrants is a good for civilized society.
(Score: 2) by Whoever on Saturday March 04 2017, @09:11PM
Ah, yes, the magical word "affects", which I cannot see in the commerce clause but the judges of the Supreme Court can.