Uber to stop tracking riders after trip is over

SAN FRANCISCO (UPI) — Mobile ride-hailing service Uber said Tuesday it would stop one of its most controversial practices — tracking the location of riders for 5 minutes after their trip ends.

The company told The Hill its new update would allow users to share their location data with Uber only when they are actively using the app.

Uber faced backlash from customers and privacy advocates last year when it announced its decision to collect the data even after a ride had ended. At the time, it said it used the data “to improve pickups, drop-offs, customer service and to enhance safety.”

Users could opt out of the data collection practices, but had to manually select the option through the app’s settings.

Uber spokeswoman Melanie Ensign told the Los Angeles Times that though the app asked all users for permission to collect the data, it only did so for Android devices, not iPhones or mobile devices using other operating software.

Written by UPI writer Danielle Haynes

United Press International

+ postsBio

United Press International is an international news agency whose newswires, photo, news film, and audio services provided news material to thousands of newspapers, magazines and radio and television stations for most of the 20th century.

This author does not have any more posts.