Apple CEO almost kicked Uber out of app store for 'tracking former users'
New York Times report claims Uber tracked former users even after they deleted the app from their iPhones
The Uber logo is seen on a vehicle near Union Square in San Francisco, California. PHOTO: REUTERS
The year 2017 is proving to be a PR nightmare for the ride-hailing behemoth Uber. One after another, reports are coming to limelight damaging the company’s reputation.
A report published in The New York Times claims Uber tracked former users even after they deleted the app from their iPhones, a practice that almost got Uber kicked out of Apple’s app store.
Earlier, Uber's managers and human resources officers were accused by a female former engineer of not punishing her manager after she reported his unwanted sexual advances. Uber was also in the spotlight for building an app to monitor rival Lyft's drivers and a report had revealed that for years it used a secret tool called Greyball to avoid authorities in markets where its service faced resistance by law enforcement or was banned.
Uber smartphone apps provisionally banned in Italy
Apple in early 2015 discovered that Uber was ‘fingerprinting’ iPhones in such a way that they could always identify each of those devices even after they had their data erased. The company reportedly started tracking iPhones as a fraud-prevention method in locations like China where drivers would register multiple Uber accounts on stolen iPhones and accepting ride requests from such accounts to earn rewards by boosting the number of overall rides.
Problem with this approach was it goes against Apple’s rules for app developers. In an attempt to prevent it from being discovered by Apple, Uber allegedly geo-fenced tech giant’s Cupertino headquarters to hide illicit code on iOS devices. However, Apple engineers working in other offices spot the trick.
Uber diversity report shows shortage of women, minorities
Eventually, this practice led to Apple chief executive Tim Cook summoning Uber CEO Travis Kalanick to his office. During the meeting, Cook reportedly said, “I’ve heard you’ve been breaking some of our rules,” and threatened to kick Uber out of the App if it did not stop tracking iPhone customers. Following the meeting, Kalanick reportedly complied with Cook’s demands.
However, Uber told TechCrunch that tracking is a common practice in the industry used to prevent fraud and account compromise. It further claimed that it does not track individual users after they’ve deleted the app.
Frenchman sues Uber for $48m claiming privacy bug led to his divorce
“We absolutely do not track individual users or their location if they’ve deleted the app. As the New York Times story notes towards the very end, this is a typical way to prevent fraudsters from loading Uber onto a stolen phone, putting in a stolen credit card, taking an expensive ride and then wiping the phone—over and over again," an Uber spokesperson said.
"Similar techniques are also used for detecting and blocking suspicious logins to protect our users’ accounts. Being able to recognise known bad actors when they try to get back onto our network is an important security measure for both Uber and our users.”
A report published in The New York Times claims Uber tracked former users even after they deleted the app from their iPhones, a practice that almost got Uber kicked out of Apple’s app store.
Earlier, Uber's managers and human resources officers were accused by a female former engineer of not punishing her manager after she reported his unwanted sexual advances. Uber was also in the spotlight for building an app to monitor rival Lyft's drivers and a report had revealed that for years it used a secret tool called Greyball to avoid authorities in markets where its service faced resistance by law enforcement or was banned.
Uber smartphone apps provisionally banned in Italy
Apple in early 2015 discovered that Uber was ‘fingerprinting’ iPhones in such a way that they could always identify each of those devices even after they had their data erased. The company reportedly started tracking iPhones as a fraud-prevention method in locations like China where drivers would register multiple Uber accounts on stolen iPhones and accepting ride requests from such accounts to earn rewards by boosting the number of overall rides.
Problem with this approach was it goes against Apple’s rules for app developers. In an attempt to prevent it from being discovered by Apple, Uber allegedly geo-fenced tech giant’s Cupertino headquarters to hide illicit code on iOS devices. However, Apple engineers working in other offices spot the trick.
Uber diversity report shows shortage of women, minorities
Eventually, this practice led to Apple chief executive Tim Cook summoning Uber CEO Travis Kalanick to his office. During the meeting, Cook reportedly said, “I’ve heard you’ve been breaking some of our rules,” and threatened to kick Uber out of the App if it did not stop tracking iPhone customers. Following the meeting, Kalanick reportedly complied with Cook’s demands.
However, Uber told TechCrunch that tracking is a common practice in the industry used to prevent fraud and account compromise. It further claimed that it does not track individual users after they’ve deleted the app.
Frenchman sues Uber for $48m claiming privacy bug led to his divorce
“We absolutely do not track individual users or their location if they’ve deleted the app. As the New York Times story notes towards the very end, this is a typical way to prevent fraudsters from loading Uber onto a stolen phone, putting in a stolen credit card, taking an expensive ride and then wiping the phone—over and over again," an Uber spokesperson said.
"Similar techniques are also used for detecting and blocking suspicious logins to protect our users’ accounts. Being able to recognise known bad actors when they try to get back onto our network is an important security measure for both Uber and our users.”