Joshua Coon
Christian. Student. Photographer.
3/10/2017 1 Comment Uber's UpheavalAccording to Wikipedia, ‘grey hat’ hacking “refers to a computer hacker or computer security expert who may sometimes violate laws or typical ethical standards, but does not have the malicious intent typical of a black hat hacker.” Interestingly, Uber’s ‘Greyball’ program does just what Wikipedia describes: violating laws and ethical standards, but not in such a grose was as would black hat hackers. In an article published by The New York Times, Uber has been caught actively deceiving law enforcement officials by displaying ‘ghost cars’ on devices used to expose Uber drivers in places where the service is outlawed. Although mostly used outside of the United States, ‘Greyball’ is suspected of being used in cities like Portland, OR, and Las Vegas, NV, where the ridesharing services are banned. An Uber spokesperson said, “this program [greyball] denies ride requests to users who are violating our terms of service — whether that’s people aiming to physically harm drivers, competitors looking to disrupt our operations, or opponents who collude with officials on secret ‘stings’ meant to entrap drivers.” As previously mentioned, more than just denying ride requests to law enforcement officials, Uber’s ‘Greyball’ as reportedly been displaying ‘ghost cars’ to known code enforcing officials. This is blatant obstruction of justice and a complete disregard of any ethical standard. More than just the unethical and illegal use of ‘Greyball,’ Uber has been under heat for reports of a misogynistic corporate environment, racial profiling of blacks and increased rates for women, and video of Uber’s CEO losing his cool during a discussion with an employee. To add salt to the company’s wounds, their vice president of product and growth, Ed Baker, has just stepped down. All of this negative PR has caused a significant decrease in the use of Uber’s services. ‘Greyball’ is simply the icing on the cake (or the nail in the coffin) for the $50 billion startup. The whole development is a prime example of how unethical management and decision making never pays off. In the end, the company has reaped what they have sewn. Sources:
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/03/technology/uber-greyball-program-evade-authorities.html?_r=0 https://www.engadget.com/2017/03/03/uber-used-greyball-tool-to-evade-authorities-around-the-world/ http://www.idrivewithuber.com/where-and-why-is-rideshare-banned/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grey_hat
1 Comment
Luigi
5/17/2017 06:14:39 pm
I think Uber has been a fascinating situation actually, incredible growth in a very short period of time, and in an industry that is very old and outdated. I think it is only natural such rapid movement can be expected to face unknown challenges. Overall I think they offer a great product and they are here to stay.
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