{"id":339097,"date":"2017-04-24T02:29:20","date_gmt":"2017-04-23T18:29:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/techcrunch.com\/?p=1480205"},"modified":"2017-04-24T02:29:20","modified_gmt":"2017-04-23T18:29:20","slug":"uber-responds-to-report-that-it-tracked-users-who-deleted-its-app","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/people.utm.my\/asmawisham\/uber-responds-to-report-that-it-tracked-users-who-deleted-its-app\/","title":{"rendered":"Uber responds to report that it tracked users who deleted its app"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

Uber tracked former users even after they deleted the app from their iPhones, a practice that eventually earned\u00a0CEO Travis Kalanick a scolding from Apple chief executive Tim Cook, the New York Times<\/a> reports. Uber is pushing back on the allegations, saying that the tracking is a common industry practice used to prevent fraud and account compromise.<\/p>\n

Uber allegedly used\u00a0a practice called fingerprinting to track devices after the app was\u00a0deleted. Uber reportedly began fingerprinting iPhones as a fraud-prevention method in locations like China. Drivers there would register multiple Uber accounts on stolen iPhones and use them to request rides, thereby boosting the number of overall rides \u2014 a metric that Uber rewards with bonuses.<\/p>\n

Apple previously allowed developers to track their users with a Unique Device Identifier, or UDID. This kind of tracking was persistent across installs, but as Apple became more concerned with user privacy, it deprecated UDIDs in 2013<\/a>. Apple replaced UDIDs with other variants of trackers that are designed to be less intrusive, including vendor IDs and advertising IDs. It\u2019s not clear how Uber fingerprinted the devices in 2015 that led to the meeting between Kalanick and Cook.<\/p>\n

In order to prevent Apple engineers from discovering the fingerprinting, Uber allegedly geofenced Apple\u2019s Cupertino headquarters to hide the code used in the process. But Apple engineers based in other offices discovered the trick, according to the New York Times, leading Cook to summon Kalanick to his office in early 2015.<\/p>\n

Cook reportedly told Kalanick, \u201cI\u2019ve heard you\u2019ve been breaking some of our rules,\u201d and threatened to yank Uber from the App Store if it didn\u2019t stop tracking iPhone customers. Kalanick reportedly complied.<\/p>\n

However, Uber told TechCrunch that it still uses a form of device fingerprinting in order to detect fraudulent behavior. If a device has been associated with fraud in the past, a new sign-up from that device should raise a red flag, an Uber spokesperson said. Uber suggested that the practice of fingerprinting was modified to comply with Apple\u2019s rules rather than discontinued altogether.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe absolutely do not track individual users or their location if they\u2019ve 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\u2014over and over again. Similar techniques are also used for detecting and blocking suspicious logins to protect our users\u2019 accounts. Being able to recognize known bad actors when they try to get back onto our network is an important security measure for both Uber and our users,\u201d an Uber spokesperson said.<\/p>\n

The New York Times also reports that Uber purchased Lyft rider receipts from an intelligence firm. The company partnered with a firm called Slice Intelligence to do research on Lyft customers. Uber reportedly purchased Lyft users\u2019 ride receipts from Slice, which the company accumulates through an email digest service it owns, in order to study its competitor\u2019s business.<\/p>\n

In late 2016, nearly two years after Kalanick\u2019s sit-down with Cook, an update to Uber\u2019s app<\/a> allowed the company to begin tracking its customers\u2019 locations even when they aren\u2019t using the app. Uber said that it would only track users for five minutes after they\u00a0begin or end a ride in order to ensure a more accurate pickup location and a safe exit from the vehicle after the ride. This tracking relies on user consent \u2014 an Uber customer has to enable location services for the app \u2014 and is in line with Apple\u2019s developer rules.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The new reports of privacy-infringing practices come on the heels of allegations of sexual harassment at Uber<\/a> and in the midst of a trade secret lawsuit<\/a> brought against the company by Waymo, the self-driving car unit owned by Alphabet. Kalanick has admitted he needs leadership help and is reportedly seeking a chief operating officer to help balance his hard-charging\u00a0leadership style. An independent report on Uber\u2019s workplace culture<\/a>, prompted by the sexual harassment claims, is expected at the end of May.<\/p>\n

Featured Image: Getty Images<\/small><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\"\" Uber tracked former users even after they deleted the app from their iPhones, a practice that eventually earned\u00a0CEO Travis Kalanick a scolding from Apple chief executive Tim Cook, the New York Times reports. Uber is pushing back on the allegations, saying that the tracking is a common industry practice used to prevent fraud and account compromise.
\nUber allegedly used\u00a0a practice called… Read More<\/a><\/p>\n

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