Uber will finally stop letting your ex-drivers see your exact address
Currently, Uber drivers have access to all your exact pick-up and drop-off locations, even if you delete the app, but this is changing.
Did you know that Uber currently stores your complete ride history and shows your exact pick-up and drop-off locations to drivers? We'll pause while you involuntarily shudder. The good news is that the ride-hailing giant is launching a pilot program to change that.
The program would give a broader area as a general location of your pick-ups and drop-offs in an effort to reduce passenger's data exposure and increase safety. That all sounds pretty good, we're into infosec and safety and stuff, but it kind of prompts the question: Why didn't Uber start doing this sooner?
The current version of the Uber driver's app allows a driver you've used to look at your entire ride history with exact addresses, even after you delete your account.
According to a report by Gizmodo, your ride data is held by the company and is maintained, even if you go through the process of deleting your Uber account. That means that your past drivers can go back and look up your exact address. We'll pause for another shudder.
"We're continuously exploring new ways to protect the privacy of our customer's location information," said a spokesperson for Uber, in a statement. "In the coming weeks, we will begin testing a new design in the Uber driver app that will provide enough information for them to identify past trips for customer support issues while protecting the rider's exact address."
Given Uber's less-than-stellar track record with sexual harassment and assault, this situation is definitely one that should have been resolved ages ago, but we're glad it's being addressed now, even if going through the rigamarole of having a pilot program seems entirely unnecessary.
Uber has stated that once its rollout of a recently released new driver's app is finished, the location obfuscation feature will indeed become standard.
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