uber | KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net KitGuru.net - Tech News | Hardware News | Hardware Reviews | IOS | Mobile | Gaming | Graphics Cards Thu, 30 Mar 2023 14:43:28 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.3 https://www.kitguru.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/cropped-KITGURU-Light-Background-SQUARE2-32x32.png uber | KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net 32 32 Teenager arrested in connection with Grand Theft Auto 6 leak https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/teenager-arrested-in-connection-with-grand-theft-auto-6-leak/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/teenager-arrested-in-connection-with-grand-theft-auto-6-leak/#respond Fri, 23 Sep 2022 15:03:43 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=575546 Earlier this year, the group known as ‘LAPSUS$' was found to be responsible for cyber attacks on Microsoft, Nvidia and Samsung. After some investigation, a group of teenagers from the UK were arrested in connection with the attacks. Now, it appears that another UK member of this cyber group has been arrested, this time for …

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Earlier this year, the group known as ‘LAPSUS$' was found to be responsible for cyber attacks on Microsoft, Nvidia and Samsung. After some investigation, a group of teenagers from the UK were arrested in connection with the attacks. Now, it appears that another UK member of this cyber group has been arrested, this time for the recent attacks on Rockstar Games and Uber. 

After network intrusions earlier this month, both Uber and Rockstar Games suffered data leaks. In Rockstar's case, the hack led to pre-release footage of Grand Theft Auto 6 going viral. Uber responded at the time, confirming that it is cooperating with the FBI on an investigation. The LAPSUS$ group was quickly credited with the attack.

This afternoon, the BBC reports that a 17-year old from the UK was arrested in connection with the leaks. It is believed that this individual is connected to the group and was responsible for the GTA 6 leak, but the police have yet to officially confirm details.

Given the links to Lapsus$, it is likely that the Uber and Rockstar attacks were carried out using social engineering tactics to gain login credentials for employee accounts. Once inside, they steal as much data as possible to use in a ransom demand, or to sell on a dark web marketplace.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Previously, Microsoft criticised LAPSUS$ for not covering their tracks well after a slew of data thefts and within a week, arrests were made. A similar situation has played out here just a few months later. 

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UK Information Commissioner fines Uber over data breach and cover up https://www.kitguru.net/tech-news/featured-tech-news/matthew-wilson/uk-information-commissioner-fines-uber-over-data-breach-and-cover-up/ https://www.kitguru.net/tech-news/featured-tech-news/matthew-wilson/uk-information-commissioner-fines-uber-over-data-breach-and-cover-up/#respond Wed, 28 Nov 2018 15:35:43 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=396396 Back in late 2017, Uber came under fire for its security practises after a huge data leak was made public. One hacker had managed to obtain the details of millions of Uber drivers and passengers. Rather than take steps to fix the issue and warn customers, a former Uber executive chose to cover up the …

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Back in late 2017, Uber came under fire for its security practises after a huge data leak was made public. One hacker had managed to obtain the details of millions of Uber drivers and passengers. Rather than take steps to fix the issue and warn customers, a former Uber executive chose to cover up the breach by paying $100,000 to the hacker. This hasn't gone down well in the US, with Uber receiving a $148 million fine, and now an additional fine has been handed down here in the UK.

Back in September, we learned that US officials had fined Uber $148 million for the breach, a sum that will be split up between different states based on how many people were affected. Here in the UK, roughly 2.7 million users were compromised, so the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has handed down another fine, which will set Uber back by £385,000.

As you would expect, ICO was critical of Uber's security choices, stating that a “series of avoidable security flaws” led to the leak, adding that the company displayed a “complete disregard for the customers and drivers who's personal information was stolen”.

ICO Director of Investigations, Steve Eckersley, finished the press release off by saying: “Paying the attackers and then keeping quiet about it afterwards was not, in our view, an appropriate response to the cyber attack”.

KitGuru Says: These fines aren't too surprising, after all, the Uber hack was handled terribly. Still, £385,000 does seem to be a little on the low side compared to the punishment handed over in the US.

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Uber fined $148 million for mishandling 2016 hack and attempted cover up https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/matthew-wilson/uber-fined-148-million-for-mishandling-2016-hack-and-attempted-cover-up/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/matthew-wilson/uber-fined-148-million-for-mishandling-2016-hack-and-attempted-cover-up/#respond Fri, 28 Sep 2018 08:08:04 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=388585 Last year, Uber was heavily scrutinised over its security practises after a data leak was made public. A hacker had managed to obtain the details of millions of Uber users worldwide, including drivers and customers. The hack, which took place in 2016, was kept under wraps for 13 months and the company had paid $100,000 …

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Last year, Uber was heavily scrutinised over its security practises after a data leak was made public. A hacker had managed to obtain the details of millions of Uber users worldwide, including drivers and customers. The hack, which took place in 2016, was kept under wraps for 13 months and the company had paid $100,000 to the hacker in an effort to keep it quiet. Now, that mistake is costing Uber big time, with a $148 million fine being handed down.

Instead of properly informing those affected, Uber chose to spend $100,000 trying to cover up the hack. Now, the company has reached a settlement agreement with all 50 states and the District of Columbia to pay a $148 million fine and bolster security practises.

Speaking to the Associated Press (via The Guardian), Lisa Madigan, Illinois Attorney General, blasted this as “one of the most egregious cases we've ever seen” in terms of proper notification, she labeled Uber's 13 month delay in coming clean as “just inexcusable”.

The hack itself involved the names, email addresses and phone numbers of 57 million Uber users. This number included 2.7 million UK customers. There is no UK-based fine just yet but over in the US, the $148 million fine will be divided amongst states based on how many active drivers are in each. In the long run, the fine will average out at $2.9 million per state, although the scales will tip in some areas. Illinois for instance is set to get an $8.5 million share.

KitGuru Says: The Uber hack was honestly quite astounding when it first came up. While a lack of honesty from companies isn't particularly uncommon, we don't usually hear about $100,000 cover-up efforts. All we can do now is hope that all companies try and do better in the future. 

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Former Uber vice president joins Riot Games to clean up its discriminatory internal culture https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/damien-cox/former-uber-vice-president-joins-riot-games-to-clean-up-its-discriminatory-internal-culture/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/damien-cox/former-uber-vice-president-joins-riot-games-to-clean-up-its-discriminatory-internal-culture/#respond Thu, 13 Sep 2018 13:55:18 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=386708 Alongside an apology for recent revelations of discrimination, League of Legends developer Riot Games capped off August with a list of steps in order to reform its internal culture. The latest move in this effort is the hiring of leadership and strategy expert Frances Frei, who will now act as the senior advisor Riot’s executive …

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Alongside an apology for recent revelations of discrimination, League of Legends developer Riot Games capped off August with a list of steps in order to reform its internal culture. The latest move in this effort is the hiring of leadership and strategy expert Frances Frei, who will now act as the senior advisor Riot’s executive and cultural strike team.

Frei cut her teeth at Wharton School located within the University of Pennsylvania, where she earned a Ph.D. in Operations and Information Management. From there, she climbed up to a senior vice president of leadership role within Uber, before taking a step back from the role while remaining as an advisor. During her time at Uber, she was credited for improving the company’s culture by inspiring inclusion despite self-admitting to her failure on bringing about “authenticity” within her TED Conference.

Naturally, Frei is a perfect fit for Riot as the developer attempts to rectify its publicly discussed discrimination. Kotaku conducted an eight-month long investigation into accusations of sexism, harassment and discrimination within Riot’s studio, revealing many of the flaws within an exposé released last month. Although fans have discussed the findings relentlessly, some in disbelief, senior staff acknowledged the problem and deemed it unacceptable and in need of change.

Riot then attempted to push towards a solution on its own, conducting female and non-binary-focused workshops during PAX West. This was met with criticism of its own, with Riot now accused of being sexist towards men. Two of its developers were subsequently fired when passionately defending the move on Twitter, cited to be in breach of Riot’s social media policy within each of their contracts. At this point, Riot realised that it needed help dealing with the situation.

After meeting with Riot’s CEO, president, COO, and co-founders, Frances begun her “intensive work” with the developer’s cultural transformation team. Riot expressed that it was “humbled” that Frei had chosen to work with the company, and that Rioters from all around the world could expect to meet her through educational and working sessions in the coming months.

“After spending time with Riot’s leadership and many others across the organization, it became clear that Riot is truly putting everything on the table and committing to evolving its culture. In my interactions with Rioters, I’ve seen extraordinary levels of engagement on these issues across the company. Every Rioter with whom I’ve met truly cares about inclusion, which means real change is possible,” Frei states.

“Riot isn’t interested simply in fixing problems on the surface, they have an ambition to be an industry leader and to provide a road map for others to follow. I share that ambition and am eager to help them navigate this process.”

KitGuru Says: Given her admitted limited success with Uber, it remains to be seen just how much change Frei can bring about for Riot Games. Given that all eyes are watching the very public debacle, there is certainly a lot of pressure on both Frei and Riot itself.

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Nvidia takes a step back on self-driving cars in the wake of Uber and Tesla accidents https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/damien-cox/nvidia-takes-a-step-back-on-self-driving-cars-in-the-wake-of-uber-and-tesla-accidents/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/damien-cox/nvidia-takes-a-step-back-on-self-driving-cars-in-the-wake-of-uber-and-tesla-accidents/#respond Thu, 29 Mar 2018 16:18:54 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=368831 For quite some time, Nvidia has been a part of the self-driving car race, attempting to perfect vehicle automation to rid the need of a driver and, in turn, human error. In the wake of fatal accidents from tests involving Uber and Tesla, the company has since suspended all of its own tests to try …

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For quite some time, Nvidia has been a part of the self-driving car race, attempting to perfect vehicle automation to rid the need of a driver and, in turn, human error. In the wake of fatal accidents from tests involving Uber and Tesla, the company has since suspended all of its own tests to try and learn from the mistakes that have been made.

Calling it “good engineering practice” to take a step back and learn from the catastrophic mistakes of other in the field, Nvidia isn’t backing away from the self-driving vehicle market entirely. Instead, it is simply stopping all tests on public roads and opting to continue collecting sensor data from manually driven vehicles in the meantime.

This feels like a necessary move after a self-driving Uber SUV fatally collided with a woman on Sunday 18th March, followed by a similar incident on the 23rd involving Tesla testing its autonomous Model X car.

Image: Nvidia

Uber has just barely managed to avoid a lawsuit from family members of the victim, opting to settle out of court on undisclosed terms. Following the incident, Uber immediately suspended its own self-driving tests and stated that it did not plan to reapply for a permit to test autonomous vehicles in the state of California.

The car involved in the collision was confirmed to be running Nvidia GPUs as per an agreement between the two companies announced in January, however Nvidia claims that it wasn't using its DRIVE technology, built to serve autonomous vehicles.

Tesla, however, applies its ‘Autopilot’ system in all of its modern vehicles, allowing for the cars to drive themselves while the drive is urged to remain alert and can effortlessly take control at any time. Investigators are still trying to determine whether this system was activated at the time of its collision.

Although Nvidia has had no part in the accidents, its decision to take a step back has resulted in its biggest decline in shares since 2011. Still, the company isn’t willing to take chances when people’s lives hang in the balance.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: This could take its toll on self-driving technology, setting development back a few years. Companies are still swearing that it will be safer than manual driving, but it seems we’re still a long way from achieving that goal. Are you comfortable with self-driving vehicles on public roads or do you think it’s best for companies to go back to the drawing board?

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Uber says its latest security flaw doesn’t “warrant immediate action or a fix” https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/damien-cox/uber-says-its-latest-security-flaw-doesnt-warrant-immediate-action-or-a-fix/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/damien-cox/uber-says-its-latest-security-flaw-doesnt-warrant-immediate-action-or-a-fix/#respond Tue, 23 Jan 2018 19:27:13 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=361593 Uber is no stranger to controversy, as it was revealed at the end of last year the cab firm had covered up a data breach that had affected 57 million users by paying a ransom. Now, it seems the company is passing off a security flaw that allows hacker to bypass two-factor authentication as not …

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Uber is no stranger to controversy, as it was revealed at the end of last year the cab firm had covered up a data breach that had affected 57 million users by paying a ransom. Now, it seems the company is passing off a security flaw that allows hacker to bypass two-factor authentication as not “particularly severe.”

Two-factor authentication is a security process in which a user must provide a second lot of details after the initial log in via username and password. This helps to lock down an account and protect it from outside breachers, while eliminating the need to remember thousands of usernames and passwords.

The new bug was identified by security researcher Karan Saini, in which the flaw grants access to anyone with the username and password without needing to pass the two-factor authentication process.

Uber seemed less than enthused about the bug being identified, as it replied to Saini’s post to bug bounty company Hacker One stating that it “did not warrant an immediate action or a fix”. Don’t worry though, the company did find it “informative,” despite doing nothing with said information.

“If it's not a security feature, why even have it? There is no need for a novelty 2FA if it doesn't actually serve a purpose,” Saini said to ZDNet before the publication began putting the bug to the test.

It seems from ZDNet’s results that the bug cannot be exploited all the time, but there’s definitely a window of possibility. This is due to Uber’s machine learning system that discerns whether or not it is a genuine attempt to login before triggering a prompt for two-factor authentication. Saini, however, believes that this bug can indeed be bypassed regardless of the situation.

The real cause for concern is leaving machine learning to deem whether or not something is suspicious, not giving users the option to always enable two-factor authentication and Uber’s nonchalant mannerisms to what is indeed a security flaw. Those running the Uber app need to be secure in their personal online security if they want to continue using it.

KitGuru Says: Machine learning is a complicated process that usually takes time, in which the earlier in the process of learning it is, the more security flaws are posed to users. This seems like a bizarre thing to leave in the hands of something so risky, especially when Uber’s reputation has already spiralled out of control.

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EU defines Uber as a taxi service rather than a digital service https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/damien-cox/eu-defines-uber-as-a-taxi-service-rather-than-a-digital-service/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/damien-cox/eu-defines-uber-as-a-taxi-service-rather-than-a-digital-service/#comments Wed, 20 Dec 2017 18:09:00 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=358626 Since its inception, Uber has revolutionised how the public utilises transport using new technology. Despite Uber maintaining that it is a digital information service that simply acts as an intermediary between drivers and customers, the EU has now stated in a ruling that it should be treated as a “service in the field of transport.” …

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Since its inception, Uber has revolutionised how the public utilises transport using new technology. Despite Uber maintaining that it is a digital information service that simply acts as an intermediary between drivers and customers, the EU has now stated in a ruling that it should be treated as a “service in the field of transport.”

“As EU law currently stands, it is for the member states to regulate the conditions under which such services are to be provided in conformity with the general rules of the treaty on the functioning of the EU,” continues the ruling by the European Court of Justice (ECJ).

The case arose when professional taxi drivers in Barcelona complained of unfair competition via misleading practices through the use of non-professional drivers. This has also amounted some concern over how Uber conducts medical and criminal checks on drivers, and whether or not the use of software-based employment circumvented standard.

The new ruling doesn’t change anything for Uber as it clarified in a statement that it “already operates under transportation law.”

“However, millions of Europeans are still prevented from using apps like ours. As our new CEO (Dara Khosrowshahi) has said, it is appropriate to regulate services such as Uber. We want to partner with cities to ensure everyone can get a reliable ride at the tap of a button.”

Instead, the ruling is expected to affect new start-ups more than Uber itself, with Vice President, Competition & EU Regulatory Policy at the Computer & Communications Industry Association, Jakob Kucharczyk expressing “regret” that “the judgment effectively threatens the application of harmonized EU rules to online intermediaries.”

“The purpose of those rules is to make sure online innovators can achieve greater scalability and competitiveness in the EU, unfettered from undue national restrictions,” he added. “This is a blow to the EU’s ambition of building an integrated digital single market.”

KitGuru Says: Uber is a controversial company, and while it might embrace new technologies, I see these actions more as protecting the public than being stuck in tradition. Do you use Uber? What about it makes it better than the tried and tested taxi services?

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Uber and BBM partner up to tackle Indonesian market https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/damien-cox/uber-and-bbm-partner-up-to-tackle-indonesian-market/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/damien-cox/uber-and-bbm-partner-up-to-tackle-indonesian-market/#respond Mon, 18 Dec 2017 17:22:56 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=358301 Controversial cab service Uber has partnered with BlackBerry to bring its taxi calling service to BBM. Yes, BBM is long since forgotten in the West, however this could be a great move for the company to further itself in the Indonesian market. Once upon a time, BlackBerry Messenger ruled the roost as an internet-based instant …

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Controversial cab service Uber has partnered with BlackBerry to bring its taxi calling service to BBM. Yes, BBM is long since forgotten in the West, however this could be a great move for the company to further itself in the Indonesian market.

Once upon a time, BlackBerry Messenger ruled the roost as an internet-based instant messaging service, having since been replaced with WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger and, to a lesser extent, even Snapchat.

Of course, this is just its popularity in the West, as BBM still maintains a somewhat large following across Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Indonesia is particularly lucrative for the platform given that Indonesian telecom company PT. Elang Mahkota Teknologi Tbk. which is better known as Emtek has been handling the messenger service since earlier this year.

“With this partnership, BBM users can quickly request an Uber ride via BBM despite variations in quality of location, network speed, or device features,” said Chan Park, Uber's general manager in Southeast Asia.

Uber’s competition in Southeast Asia is tough, with Go-Jek dominates the Indonesian market alongside Grab. Given that BBM is on a large chunk of local smartphones in the country, it is likely to give traction to an otherwise doomed effort as users won’t even need to download the Uber app to hail a ride, provided that they link their BBM account in the first place.

This partnership is a peculiar one, however, as both BlackBerry has given up on its own app store, officially announcing the closure of BlackBerry World on December 31st 2019. Alongside the app store, it is shutting down portions of its software, with BlackBerry Travel and Playbook video calling being axed in February and March respectively.

Strangely, BlackBerry has extended the life of its BB10 operating system for another two years, despite its current handsets having moved to Android. It even offers an upgrade program for users to move to its Android-powered KeyOne or Motion devices.

KitGuru Says: All of this is likely to have very little, if any impact on the West. After all, there is a reason that BBM hasn't been mentioned on KitGuru since 2014. Have you used Uber before? What are your thoughts on its newfound partnership with BBM?

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New details of Uber hack and bug bounty cover-up come to light https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/security-software/matthew-wilson/new-details-of-uber-hack-and-bug-bounty-cover-up-come-to-light/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/security-software/matthew-wilson/new-details-of-uber-hack-and-bug-bounty-cover-up-come-to-light/#respond Thu, 07 Dec 2017 14:48:30 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=357092 A couple of weeks ago we learned that Uber suffered from a hack affecting 57 million users worldwide. The company only came clean about the hack 13 months after it took place, as Uber's former chief of security paid the hacker $100,000 under the guise of a bug bounty to keep it under wraps. Now, …

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A couple of weeks ago we learned that Uber suffered from a hack affecting 57 million users worldwide. The company only came clean about the hack 13 months after it took place, as Uber's former chief of security paid the hacker $100,000 under the guise of a bug bounty to keep it under wraps. Now, some new details have come to light regarding the hacker, and how he was paid.

A Reuters report citing sources familiar with the matter claims that a 20 year-old from Florida was responsible for Uber's 2016 data breach. During the attack, he managed to obtain the details of 50 million passengers and 7 million drivers. 2.7 million of the users affected were from the UK.

In order to cover the attack up, Uber used its bug bounty service hosted by HackerOne. The bounty program is intended to reward security researchers who bring bugs to the company's attention so that a fix can be put into place. Traditionally, these programs are not used to reward those who hack and extort a company.

A payment of $100,000 was sent through the bug bounty program to the hacker. Such a high payment would be ‘extremely unusual' and would represent an all-time record, according to one former HackerOne executive cited in the report. Usually, bounty program payments fall in the $5000 to $10,000 range. It is important to note that while HackerOne hosts Uber's bug bounty program, it does not manage it, nor does it have a hand in setting Uber's prices for bounty payments.

KitGuru Says: The Uber hack was clearly handled poorly, particularly since paying off data thieves encourages others to attempt the same thing. Hopefully this will serve as a lesson to other companies going forward.

 

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Uber’s 2016 data breach affected 2.7 million UK users https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/matthew-wilson/ubers-2016-data-breach-affected-2-7-million-uk-users/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/matthew-wilson/ubers-2016-data-breach-affected-2-7-million-uk-users/#comments Wed, 29 Nov 2017 14:30:02 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=355983 Last week, news broke that Uber had suffered a major security breach in 2016, which in all, affected 57 million users. Seven million drivers had their details stolen during the breach, alongside 50 million active Uber users. At the time, the company paid the hackers $100,000 and disguised the breach as a ‘bug bounty' to …

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Last week, news broke that Uber had suffered a major security breach in 2016, which in all, affected 57 million users. Seven million drivers had their details stolen during the breach, alongside 50 million active Uber users. At the time, the company paid the hackers $100,000 and disguised the breach as a ‘bug bounty' to keep it quiet. Now, after some further digging, it seems that 2.7 million of those affected were Uber customers from the UK.

Uber Technologies informed Britain's data protection regulator, ICO, that 2.7 million UK residents were affected by the breach, which took place in late 2016.

In ICO's report, the regulator said: “Uber has confirmed its data breach in October 2016 affected approximately 2.7million user accounts in the UK. Uber has said the breach involved names, mobile phone numbers and email addresses. On its own this information is unlikely to pose a direct threat to citizens. However, its use may make other scams, such as bogus emails or calls appear more credible. People should continue to be vigilant and follow the advice from the NCSC.”

Currently, ICO is waiting on technical reports for full confirmation on the damage, including exact details on compromised personal information. Uber is expected to begin reaching out to those affected shortly to notify them.

KitGuru Says: Uber handled this situation very poorly. If you use Uber, then keep an eye out for anything that seems fishy, as well as any potential emails from the company, which will confirm if you have been directly affected.

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Uber paid hackers $100K to cover up a data breach that affected 57 million users https://www.kitguru.net/tech-news/featured-tech-news/matthew-wilson/uber-paid-hackers-100k-to-cover-up-a-data-breach-that-affected-57-million-users/ https://www.kitguru.net/tech-news/featured-tech-news/matthew-wilson/uber-paid-hackers-100k-to-cover-up-a-data-breach-that-affected-57-million-users/#respond Wed, 22 Nov 2017 13:28:00 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=355056 It looks like Uber is about to be subjected to even more scrutiny, as it has emerged that the online taxi app suffered a huge data breach more than a year ago. During this, hackers made off with the details of 57 million drivers and customers. In an effort to cover it up, Uber ended …

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It looks like Uber is about to be subjected to even more scrutiny, as it has emerged that the online taxi app suffered a huge data breach more than a year ago. During this, hackers made off with the details of 57 million drivers and customers. In an effort to cover it up, Uber ended up paying the attackers $100,000 to keep it quiet.

The initial breach took place in October 2016, after this all became public knowledge, Uber fired its Chief Security Officer and one of his deputies for their roles in avoiding disclosure and putting users at risk. Data stolen during the breach included names, email addresses and phone numbers of 50 million active Uber users. On top of that, the details of 7 million drivers were also stolen, including 600,000 US driver's license numbers.

According to Bloomberg, Uber confirmed that no Social Security numbers were taken. Banking details and trip location details were also left untouched. At the time that this incident took place, Uber was negotiating with US regulators over claims of privacy violations. The company now recognizes that it had a legal obligation to disclose the hack, rather than paying off the attackers in hopes that the information would be deleted.

According to the report, a class-action lawsuit is already underway, with Uber customers citing negligence in the way Uber handled the data breach.

KitGuru Says: Clearly, Uber went about this situation in all the wrong ways. Not only should drivers and customers have been informed so that they could take steps to protect themselves, but the attackers also should not have been paid. Do many of you use Uber at all?

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Uber plans trial fleet of flying vehicles by 2020 https://www.kitguru.net/tech-news/paul-taylor/uber-plans-trial-fleet-of-flying-vehicles-by-2020/ https://www.kitguru.net/tech-news/paul-taylor/uber-plans-trial-fleet-of-flying-vehicles-by-2020/#comments Wed, 26 Apr 2017 22:08:47 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=331902 Uber’s wants to take to the air after mastering autonomous driving and reveals how far it’s come along with plans for a fleet of flying taxis. During its Elevate Summit event, the company rolled out heavyweights and partner companies to promise the delivery of a “flying taxi” service by the beginning of the next decade. From …

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Uber’s wants to take to the air after mastering autonomous driving and reveals how far it’s come along with plans for a fleet of flying taxis.

During its Elevate Summit event, the company rolled out heavyweights and partner companies to promise the delivery of a “flying taxi” service by the beginning of the next decade. From ridesharing, to self-driving cars, to zooming across the city skyline in a smallish electric VTOL aircraft – that is where Uber wants to be in 5 to 10 years’ time. Without replacing commercial flights entirely, these vehicles would allow single passengers to hop across town in a matter of minutes instead of being stuck in long traffic jams.

Right now, the plan is to scout out locations with real-estate partners in Dallas, Texas and Dubai, UAE, so that by 2020 Uber can roll out a test fleet of flying vehicles in coopreation with a number of aircraft makers who seemingly have signed up for the effort. This is where the company rolled out the engineering partnerships, five aerospace companies of leisure aircraft, Embraer, Pipistrel, Aurora Flight Sciences, Bell Helicopter and Mooney, to give its initiative a bit more credibility. Chargepoint, the company behind the biggest electric charging network in the US, would be in charge of building ‘vertiports’ and keep the vehicles juiced up.

First flight of Aurora's eVTOL aircraft on April 20, 2017.

The only concern one may raise – apart from passengers dropping from the sky – is that Uber, disruptive as it is, will probably not be around in its current form in a couple of years' time. Uber is undoubtedly adept at spinning a business venture, but the truth of the matter is, it bleeds money by the billions. And there are billions more to be spent before billions are made.

On the other hand, so did Amazon, back in the day…

KitGuru Says: While technology may reach the testing stage by 2020, there are serious legal and security issues to address. Personal flying vehicles need a degree of avionics redundancy and security that might require years to perfect, and which we have not yet mastered on terra firma. But who *doesn't* want to see personal flight come into existence?

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Uber is also working on flying autonomous cars of the future https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/jon-martindale/uber-is-also-working-on-flying-autonomous-cars-of-the-future/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/jon-martindale/uber-is-also-working-on-flying-autonomous-cars-of-the-future/#respond Tue, 07 Feb 2017 12:07:39 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=321057 Uber has hired on on an ex-NASA engineer who previously developed concepts for personalised air vehicles, which could allow for an airborne taxi system. He will now begin work on Uber's flying car project, called Uber Elevate, which the company outlined in a white paper in October 2016. The idea of flying cars has been …

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Uber has hired on on an ex-NASA engineer who previously developed concepts for personalised air vehicles, which could allow for an airborne taxi system. He will now begin work on Uber's flying car project, called Uber Elevate, which the company outlined in a white paper in October 2016.

The idea of flying cars has been around for the better part of a century, but beyond a few pipe dream projects, nothing has really materialised. One of the age-old problems too, is the lack of pilots for them, but companies like Airbus and Uber are now working on developing flying cars – or rather larger, heavy lifting drones – which could operate autonomously and transport people across cities in a matter of minutes without human input.

Uber's current business model sees it lose hundreds of millions per quarter, so if it can reach a point where it doesn't have to pay drivers anymore, that's a perfect scenario for the company. Better yet, if it can transport people at the speed of flight, it could become one of the most popular transportation systems in the world. That's where its Elevate project comes in and ex-NASA engineer Mark Moore will be a major part of its development.

Source: Uber

He's been thinking about flying cars for a while now and as Bloomberg says, even wrote a white paper of his own in 2003 on the subject. Much of the technology needed for his ideas at the time was in its infancy, but today, with drone technology advanced as it is, many of the original headaches have been assuaged.

Although it's no surprise that Uber would want some of the world's best engineers to join its team for a mammoth project like this, what is, is why Moore would take the position. Although he clearly is interested in the idea of this sort of flight system, he was only a year away from earning his full pension from NASA, including full healthcare coverage for life.

Whatever Uber offered him to jump ship, must have been worth it.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: I can see a future where autonomous drones fly us from building to building or across cities. They'd be quiet, non-polluting and fast. What's not to love?

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Uber self-driving lorry delivers Budweiser on first commercial trip https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/uber-self-driving-lorry-delivers-budweiser-on-first-commercial-trip/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/uber-self-driving-lorry-delivers-budweiser-on-first-commercial-trip/#comments Wed, 26 Oct 2016 11:26:00 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=309750 A self driving Uber lorry has made its first delivery, dropping off a truck load of beer successfully. Although designed more as a trial run and publicity stunt, the journey could represent the first of many in cooperation with beer brewing and distribution company, AB InBev. It's been suggested that it could save upwards of …

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A self driving Uber lorry has made its first delivery, dropping off a truck load of beer successfully. Although designed more as a trial run and publicity stunt, the journey could represent the first of many in cooperation with beer brewing and distribution company, AB InBev. It's been suggested that it could save upwards of $50 million a year by converting its fleet to autonomous.

Following the death of a driver who had Tesla's autopilot system enabled at the time, the self-driving vehicle industry took a bit of a hit, especially in the PR department. Uber is hoping that this recent success will help encourage a growth of interest in its Otto automated platform, which it acquired in July (thanks Bloomberg).

The Otto powered truck completed its 120 mile motorway journey with a police escort and ‘driver' standing by in the cab itself, should something go wrong. However the trip was completed without incident and Uber is hailing it as a major milestone. That will go some way to assuaging concerns of politicians and the public, many of whom still have yet to be swayed by taking a human's hands off of the steering wheel.

bud

Disassociating beer with driving is never a bad idea. Source: Budweiser

Industry is certainly ready to support it though. AB InBev believes that by implementing the driverless technology, it could save upwards of $50 million a year. Even if it continued to employ drivers who sit in the cab and supervise, improved fuel economy, more regular deliveries and less accidents, would lead to huge savings on operating costs.

As much as this delivery might be a milestone for Uber and perhaps even a big deal in the United States, elsewhere in the world automated deliveries have been taking place for a while now. Back in April this year, the first international, automated delivery took place, when trucks from all over Europe converged on Rotterdam, Netherlands to prove the viability of the technology.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: It's great to see technology like this propagating. If you are, or know someone who's a trucker, getting up to date on driverless technology would be a good plan, as before long that job is going to be about supervising the AI more than driving. 

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Tesla to take on Uber in ride sharing program https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/jon-martindale/tesla-to-take-on-uber-in-ride-sharing-program/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/jon-martindale/tesla-to-take-on-uber-in-ride-sharing-program/#comments Fri, 21 Oct 2016 10:25:39 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=309403 Although there are still plenty of car manufacturers pumping out new designs for human controlled, combustion equipped vehicles, many believe the writing is on the wall for the car industry. Along with being electric, our cars are going to drive us around autonomously and we may not even own them – that's why Tesla plans …

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Although there are still plenty of car manufacturers pumping out new designs for human controlled, combustion equipped vehicles, many believe the writing is on the wall for the car industry. Along with being electric, our cars are going to drive us around autonomously and we may not even own them – that's why Tesla plans to launch its own Uber-like, ride sharing program.

Uber previously announced that it was going to gradually move towards driverless vehicles, beginning with small pilot schemes in some cities before pushing the scheme worldwide as the technology improves. In a tense, it's getting into the autonomous car game. Tesla, which is already a big player in that field, wants to cross itself into Uber's playspace, offering a ride sharing scheme using its electric, autonomous vehicles.

Tesla founder Elon Musk said earlier this week, that it was the company's plan to continue developing its autopilot system until full-autonomy was possible. However the notion of official Tesla ride sharing was mentioned in a disclaimer for the Model S' current autopilot features.

“Please note that using a self-driving Tesla for car sharing and ride hailing for friends and family is fine, but doing so for revenue purposes will only be permissible on the Tesla Network, details of which will be released next year,” it reads (via Reuters).

press_autopilot2

All future Teslas will be built with cameras, ultrasonic and radar sensors.

Beyond the first insinuation that Tesla would be getting into the taxi business, what's interesting there is that it wants to stop other people from doing it. One of the suggested futures we may see with autonomous vehicles, is communities owning them together, or people renting theirs out during the day when they don't need it, in order to reduce parking space and the number of necessary vehicles on the road, while helping cover the costs for the initial purchase.

However if people are legally unable to make money from such a venture, the uptake of truly autonomous vehicles may be lessened. Of course if none of us are buying cars because there are so many affordable ride share options, that's not a problem, but it's interesting to note that Tesla wants to corner such a market itself.

It seems like we'll need to wait until 2017 to hear the details of what the “Tesla Network,” will be like, but perhaps it won't completely cut out consumers. Maybe it would mean giving a license fee or similar to Tesla if you use one of its vehicles for monetary purposes.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Perhaps the reason Tesla would want a share of any ride sharing, is because the system will use its cloud platform for navigation and decision making purposes. If so, it doesn't want to end up funding other companies' business ventures. 

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Uber losses are mounting, can it keep growing? https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/uber-losses-are-mounting-can-it-keep-growing/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/uber-losses-are-mounting-can-it-keep-growing/#comments Fri, 26 Aug 2016 12:43:13 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=304305 Uber is one of those companies that has always lost money. It survives purely on continued investment because it's a good idea. That means it's worth tens of billions of pounds, despite making catastrophic losses. The question is, can it keep it up? The latest report suggests that Uber lost $1.27 billion (£960 million) in …

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Uber is one of those companies that has always lost money. It survives purely on continued investment because it's a good idea. That means it's worth tens of billions of pounds, despite making catastrophic losses. The question is, can it keep it up? The latest report suggests that Uber lost $1.27 billion (£960 million) in the first half of 2016 alone.

Back in 2014, Uber was netting some $50 million a month, no small feat. The problem was that it was losing far more than that, leaving net income at a minus $100 million+. Things haven't gotten any better over the last couple of years, as the service continues to expand and grow. Although not officially announced, sources said to be close to the matter (thanks Bloomberg) report losses are now north of $1.27 billion.

uber223

Source: Pexels

What's most ridiculous about that figure, is it's just for the last six months alone. The first half of 2016 has been a huge loss maker for Uber and yet that doesn't seem to have affected the firm. In-fact it's value is growing. With an estimated revenue of $1.5 billion a year and a total of $18+ billion in funding since its inception, Uber is currently said to be worth close to $70 billion. It isn't publicly traded yet either, which means it it took part in an IPO, it would be the biggest of the year, by far.

The reason Uber is able to survive, despite such catastrophic losses, is because of the hype it continues to build. It's also begun creating markets and then selling to other firms that enter it. In China, it recently sold its business to rival ride-hailing-app firm, Didi and in turn, that company will invest $1 billion in Uber and Uber will take on 20 per cent share of the newly created Chinese firm.

Hardly a terrible deal.

KitGuru Says: It does seem like there must be a cut off point with Uber, where investments start to dry up and it has to actually turn a profit in order to stay afloat, but that doesn't seem likely to happen any time soon. A successful IPO could fund it for years to come too, if needed. 

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Could Uber’s biggest competition come from Africa? https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/apps-software/jon-martindale/could-ubers-biggest-competition-come-from-africa/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/apps-software/jon-martindale/could-ubers-biggest-competition-come-from-africa/#comments Mon, 01 Aug 2016 08:25:50 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=301066 Uber is a company that has made many enemies in its short lived life as a ride-hailing firm, but it's also seen competitors spring up. However of all the territories where competitions is fierce, it could be that in Africa Uber faces its greatest threat of being the less popular service. The company it needs to …

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Uber is a company that has made many enemies in its short lived life as a ride-hailing firm, but it's also seen competitors spring up. However of all the territories where competitions is fierce, it could be that in Africa Uber faces its greatest threat of being the less popular service.

The company it needs to be most worried about there, is Little Cab, a ride-hailing service much like Uber, but created by Kenya's largest telecom company, Safaricom. It's partnered up with Nairobi based software firm, Craft Silicon (as per TechCrunch) to make it a reality and the app is already pretty versatile.

It works on Android, iOS and Windows phones currently and will soon be available on feature phones, we're told. It can take cash, cards or mobile payments, meaning just about anyone has the means to pay for a ride, and it even offers free Wi-Fi to customers.

littlecab2

Source: CCTV Africa

Of course apps like Uber, Dandia and Maramoja, which have been available in many African countries for months now, will provide stiff competition, but Safaricom is a very well recognised and respected brand and it's Little Cab app offers rides at a slightly cheaper rate than Uber.

But it could be in courting drivers that makes all of the difference. Littlecab might charge less than its competitors, but it also takes home less of the revenue. It pledges to take no more than 15 per cent of a driver's wages, thereby meaning that its workers should have an easier time, as well as the customers.

If there was any indication that such a feature might be problematic for Uber's dominance of the ride sharing market, its African spokesperson recently claimed that Uber would be cutting its fares in Africa by over a third, which could have big ramifications for the industry.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: What will be interesting to see, is if other companies can compete with Uber without making its incredible monthly losses.

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Uber secures $1.15 billion in leveraged loan https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/uber-secures-1-15-billion-in-leveraged-loan/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/uber-secures-1-15-billion-in-leveraged-loan/#comments Fri, 08 Jul 2016 08:29:18 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=298888 As much as Uber is changing the way people catch lifts to and from places they need to go, as a company it's a terrible money maker. Uber loses tens of millions every quarter, but has managed to stay afloat through investment and borrowing. That's nothing new in 2016, as it's just secured a loan …

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As much as Uber is changing the way people catch lifts to and from places they need to go, as a company it's a terrible money maker. Uber loses tens of millions every quarter, but has managed to stay afloat through investment and borrowing. That's nothing new in 2016, as it's just secured a loan worth $1.15 billion.

Uber is able to bring in such finances because of its exceptional net-worth of well in excess of $60 billion. It has regularly pulled in hundreds of millions and billions in funding based on that valuation and this latest $1.15 billion (£890 million) is just one more cash injection to help keep it moving forward.

uber22

Source: Mark Warner/Flickr

It joins a number of other investments and loans secured in recent weeks. As TechCrunch reports, in the past month Uber has drawn in $4.65 billion from various sources around the world, including the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund. This latest loan was instigated by the likes of Barclays, Citigroup and Goldman Sachs.

However the details of this loan will remain locked away behind closed doors. Due to its status as a private loan, Uber and its partners here aren't required to reveal much in the way of details.

That said, speculation suggests that the purpose of this finance is to place Uber in a position to combat upstarts in countries like China, which have seen massive popularity for these sorts of ride sharing services.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Uber seems like such an easy way to get about, but unfortunately out in the sticks as I am, it's not something that's easy to try out. Do you guys like it as a service?

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Don’t order an Uber pickup unless you’re ready: fines incoming https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/dont-order-an-uber-pickup-unless-youre-ready-fines-incoming/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/dont-order-an-uber-pickup-unless-youre-ready-fines-incoming/#respond Mon, 02 May 2016 10:20:52 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=291259 If you order an Uber pickup but aren't ready to hop in as soon as it arrives, you could be faced with fines. The crowd-sourced, car sharing, taxi-like service has begun trialling a new system where lateness can lead to you having to pay up extra for wasting a driver's time. You'll have two minutes …

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If you order an Uber pickup but aren't ready to hop in as soon as it arrives, you could be faced with fines. The crowd-sourced, car sharing, taxi-like service has begun trialling a new system where lateness can lead to you having to pay up extra for wasting a driver's time. You'll have two minutes to jump in the back of the vehicle and if you want to cancel, you'll need to do it two minutes after ordering too.

Announced by Uber on its official blog, the changing of its policies are designed to make sure that drivers are compensated for all of the time they spend working, rather than only when the passenger is in the back of their vehicle. Previously Uber offered a five minute grace period for cancellations and only small penalties for passengers who just didn't show up or were more than five minutes late.

uber22

Source: Mark Warner

Moving forward, if you're more than two minutes late for your ride, a charge will apply or the driver can cancel the trip altogether. If you change your mind about the pickup but don't let the driver know within two minutes, again a charge will apply to compensate any potentially wasted time.

As TechCrunch points out though, one issue that could crop up with this new system is that driver arrival times can vary wildly depending on where you're located. Some U.S. cities have arrival times that can be off by minutes at a time, which becomes problematic if a driver could start charging after just two minutes. If they arrive early and you're not there, it seems unfair that they could then begin charging extra.

Similarly so, if a driver takes much longer to arrive than expected, but the passenger can't cancel and take an alternative mode of transport, that too could cause problems.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: How would you feel about having to cancel an Uber driver within two minutes of ordering one? Do you see that causing more problems than it solves?

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Uber hits the billion journey mark in just five years https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/jon-martindale/uber-hits-the-billion-journey-mark-in-just-five-years/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/jon-martindale/uber-hits-the-billion-journey-mark-in-just-five-years/#respond Thu, 31 Dec 2015 11:56:22 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=279286 Uber is laying claim to having completed more than a billion journeys with its ride sharing, app-based taxi service in just five years since it began operation in 2010. Although it has faced stupendous opposition from traditional taxi firms and transport authorities, and makes giant losses every quarter, it continues to grow and has expanded …

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Uber is laying claim to having completed more than a billion journeys with its ride sharing, app-based taxi service in just five years since it began operation in 2010. Although it has faced stupendous opposition from traditional taxi firms and transport authorities, and makes giant losses every quarter, it continues to grow and has expanded to almost 70 countries all over the world.

Although this number would average out to around 600,000 rides per day, things were understandably a little slower when Uber first started. In 2014 Uber claimed to be making over a million trips per day, so the figure as of the close of 2015 should be even higher (as per The Telegraph).

Despite its meteoric growth though, Uber is not a profitable company, not even close. Leaked documents earlier this year showed it losing more than $100 million in a single quarter, with that number rising every few months. Despite that insane amount of cash being lost so regularly, Uber has a value of more than $62 billion (£42 billion) thanks to continued heavy investment and speculation at its potentially profitable future.

uberchristmas

Uber was so confident that it even released a sarcastic statement around the time of the document leak, expressing sarcastic surprise at its loss making ways.

While its future seems likely to be bright though, much of how it will perform over the next few years is dependant on regulatory and transport authorities. Although some have shown forward thinking in revamping taxi legislation in response to Uber's disruptive business practices, others like Transport for London, have proposed limitations on how fast or convenient a taxi service can be in order to level the playing field.

While that might make things more competitive for Uber, it would also slow or even halt future developments of the technology, hampering Uber's growth.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Did you take part in one of those billion rides? If so, what did you think of Uber's service?

 

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Uber to push ahead with ride sharing in London https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/uber-to-push-ahead-with-ride-sharing-in-london/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/uber-to-push-ahead-with-ride-sharing-in-london/#comments Wed, 25 Nov 2015 11:32:32 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=276231 Uber has been facing off against Transport for London for some time now, but despite the transport authority discussing possibly adding minimum wait times for ride hailing, it has ploughed on doggedly. In its latest venture, it plans to shake up the landscape of travel in one of the world's biggest cities even more, by …

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Uber has been facing off against Transport for London for some time now, but despite the transport authority discussing possibly adding minimum wait times for ride hailing, it has ploughed on doggedly. In its latest venture, it plans to shake up the landscape of travel in one of the world's biggest cities even more, by using UberPool to make ride sharing among passengers that bit easier.

Although a launch time frame is loosely described by Uber head of public policy, Andrew Byrne, as being within the next few months, the ride-sharing application could really change the game in London again. Already Uber has been described as extremely disruptive of the traditional taxi business, circumventing licensing fees and operating through apps to make its service faster and more convenient too.

With UberPool, it's looking to allow passengers to share rides with one another if heading in the same direction. Byrne believes this could cut the cost of a traditional £21 taxi journey in London to just £6. This is based on statistics from already existing UberPool services in Paris, Los Angeles and New York (as per the Telegraph).

onetap2

Uber's easy-to-use, app-based approach has drawn criticism from the TfL and taxi companies

But all of this may be for nothing if Transport for London brings in restrictions it has previously discussed. In some cases it's talked about banning the hailing of rides through applications, introducing minimum wait times and “controls,” on ride sharing which would restrict it or even make it illegal within London.

None of these proposals – along with 20+ others that are being considered – have been implemented yet, but Transport for London will be considering them over the next few months. Taxi companies have complained about Uber, claiming that it not only shuts out traditional business, but that the big influx of hire cars was causing congestion.

Although Uber disputes that, it claims that UberPool could kill off car ownership in London, massively reducing congestion issues.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: The restrictions on these services are so short sighted. By blocking innovation like this, the TfL risks stagnating taxis even further. Allow them to use all of the new tools Uber is championing and they can compete fairly. 

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New York Taxi companies sue city over Uber growth https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/new-york-taxi-companies-sue-city-over-uber-growth/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/new-york-taxi-companies-sue-city-over-uber-growth/#comments Wed, 18 Nov 2015 10:44:07 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=275487 Another town, another group of taxi companies and another Uber-centric lawsuit. Once again taxi companies are unhappy that Uber, the ride sharing application that has turned everyone into for-hire drivers, is taking all of their business, so they're suing New York City and its transport authority for allowing the app-based travel firm to operate within …

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Another town, another group of taxi companies and another Uber-centric lawsuit. Once again taxi companies are unhappy that Uber, the ride sharing application that has turned everyone into for-hire drivers, is taking all of their business, so they're suing New York City and its transport authority for allowing the app-based travel firm to operate within the city, circumventing yellow-cab exclusivity.

The suit highlights that 22 taxi companies run by Evegeny Freidman had gone bankrupt in this year alone, because of the growth of Uber and the fact that it isn't restricted by the same regulations and licensing systems as traditional taxi firms.

taxi

Source: Wikimedia

“Defendants' deliberate evisceration of medallion taxicab hail exclusivity, and their ongoing arbitrary, disparate regulatory treatment of the medallion taxicab industry, has and continues to inflict catastrophic harm on this once iconic industry, and the tens of thousands of hardworking men and women that depend on it for their livelihood,” the complaint reads (via Reuters).

The suit demands that the city provide actual and punitive damage compensation to these companies, for allowing violations of their equal protection rights under the constitution. It also seeks to roll back restrictions and required payments on the industry, allowing it to directly compete with Uber for service.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: The whole taxi industry in New York is ridiculous. The “medallions,” required to operate a taxi in the city can cost upwards of $700,000 and no new ones are issued. No wonder taxis can't compete with Uber. Kudos to the taxi companies for asking to have their restrictions relaxed, rather than have Uber crippled in order to make things fairer. 

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Virgin may one day compete directly with Uber https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/jon-martindale/virgin-may-one-day-compete-directly-with-uber/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/jon-martindale/virgin-may-one-day-compete-directly-with-uber/#respond Fri, 06 Nov 2015 10:28:42 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=274471 One of the more head scratching moves made by local governments and authorities in looking to deal with the destabilising effect the Uber ride-hailing company has had on the traditional transport business, is restricting it. Transport for London famously pushed for a five minute minimum wait time for customers to try and make Uber compete …

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One of the more head scratching moves made by local governments and authorities in looking to deal with the destabilising effect the Uber ride-hailing company has had on the traditional transport business, is restricting it. Transport for London famously pushed for a five minute minimum wait time for customers to try and make Uber compete more evenly with Taxis. Normally you would just expect other companies to step up their game, which is what Virgin may be set to do.

Indeed if there wasn't an archaic licensing system with cleverly concealed back-handers and deals built into many taxi industries around the world, copycat companies would likely be far more common place as Uber blazed its trail through the industry. Fortunately then Virgin is taking that tack and may continue to push the Uber ideal of faster transport on short notice, with its own fleets of hire vehicles that are just an app-button press away.

uberbranson
Source: Virgin/Twitter

While nothing has been confirmed, Virgin founder Richard Branson said in a recent chat with Mashable that he: “quite often say to our team, ‘We should be competing with Airbnb. We should be competing with Uber. We’ve got the brand.”

As an early investor in Uber, Branson has been along for the ride – as it were – and has seen how quickly the company has expanded. In a recent chat with the heads of London's taxi industry, he famously said (via the Telegraph) that they needed to adapt or die, as the traditional model had been so disrupted by Uber that it would never return to the way it was.

Of course Branson does forget one thing with Uber: that it doesn't make any money. For all of its $50 billion net worth and massive expansion into a number of countries around the world, Uber loses more than $100 million per quarter. It's a huge loss-making company.

Whether it will ever have to turn that around with the scale of the investment it receives is anyone's guess.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: It really is bizarre how many people are scrambling to try and preserve the archaic taxi industry at the cost of innovation. It's so short sighted.

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Uber calls proposed London delays on hire-cars a ‘huge mistake’ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/uber-calls-proposed-london-delays-on-hire-cars-a-huge-mistake/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/uber-calls-proposed-london-delays-on-hire-cars-a-huge-mistake/#comments Wed, 04 Nov 2015 10:59:15 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=274097 Uber, the app-based, ride-sharing hire-car application company, has seen a lot of resistance from a number of private and governmental organisations around the world. Some don't like its competition, others don't like that it circumvents traditional licensing fees and some suggest its driver registration bar is set too low. One proposal to make it less …

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Uber, the app-based, ride-sharing hire-car application company, has seen a lot of resistance from a number of private and governmental organisations around the world. Some don't like its competition, others don't like that it circumvents traditional licensing fees and some suggest its driver registration bar is set too low. One proposal to make it less competitive in London has been to ban pick-ups under five minutes, which Uber is now calling a “huge mistake.”

This idea came out of a Transport for London consultation, and suggested that by adding a minimum pick-up time of five minutes, traditional taxi companies would be able to compete with Uber's service. Considering much of Uber's appeal is that it can be far faster than this, especially in busy cities, it's not a fan of this idea and even suggested that any such scheme would mean Uber drivers losing out on close to £1,000 a year from missed customers.

Although not mandated as of yet, the idea for a minimum wait time followed on from Uber winning a court case where the TfL tried to block its ability to court business using an application. However beyond taxi firms struggling to compete on service, the TfL said that the influx of Uber drivers was leading to congestion and parking issues in London, as well as worsening air quality.

uber
Source: Wikimedia

However Uber has said that under TfL suggestions for a mandatory wait, these issues would be even worse.

“Cars will be forced to hang around, clogging up streets before being able to start trips,” said Uber's UK GM, Jo Bertram (via the Guardian). They also highlighted how the waiting cars cold cause safety issues and that the idling would increase greenhouse gas emissions.

The TfL said the idea was to encourage drivers to create an appropriate route. It has also suggested some form of registration and test for Uber drivers, requiring them to know English to a high standard and be able to read London maps.

The consultation on what to do about Uber's impact on London traffic and the car-hire industry will run until the 23rd December.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: While it seems understandable wanting to put some form of legislation in place for Uber and similar services to bring them more in line with the protections offered by other car hire systems, a restriction on how quick a service they can provide is ludicrous. 

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Uber leaks personal data of its own drivers https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/security-software/matthew-wilson/uber-leaks-personal-data-of-its-own-drivers/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/security-software/matthew-wilson/uber-leaks-personal-data-of-its-own-drivers/#comments Wed, 14 Oct 2015 17:16:44 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=271793 Uber has gone ahead and exposed the personal data of hundreds of its own drivers, putting out social security numbers, pictures of drivers licenses, vehicle registration numbers, along with other pertinent information. The leak was accidental and was first noticed on Tuesday by drivers registered with the company. Reports quickly hit the Uber message boards …

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Uber has gone ahead and exposed the personal data of hundreds of its own drivers, putting out social security numbers, pictures of drivers licenses, vehicle registration numbers, along with other pertinent information. The leak was accidental and was first noticed on Tuesday by drivers registered with the company. Reports quickly hit the Uber message boards and coverage began to spread.

A few hours after the first reports of the leak came out, Uber issued an official statement, saying: “We were notified about a bug impacting a fraction of our US drivers earlier this afternoon. Within 30 minutes our security team had fixed the issue.”

Uber-600x503

While it is all well and good that the issue was fixed quickly, the personal data of around 674 drivers was exposed in the US and those drivers could now potentially be at risk, something that hasn't been addressed by the company. This isn't the first time that Uber has handled personal data badly, at one point it left information that could have allowed unauthorised access to the company database on GitHub.

The leak apparently occurred due to a bug found after the launch of the new Uber Partner app, which was designed to bring drivers more information. Right now, it isn't known if this personal data was collected by anyone but those registered with Uber are obviously a little worried about the situation.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Uber's statement doesn't really give me a ton of confidence in the company's ability to take these matters seriously. Hopefully the drivers affected by the leak won't run in to any issues. 

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Uber faces London court battle today https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/uber-faces-london-court-battle-today/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/uber-faces-london-court-battle-today/#comments Mon, 05 Oct 2015 08:08:16 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=270583 Uber has been facing stiff opposition to its operation almost since it began service several years ago. It's had to deal with violence in some countries, protests from entire working sectors and most recently court battles, where taxi industries attempt to shut it out of their industry. The latest battle faced by the app based …

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Uber has been facing stiff opposition to its operation almost since it began service several years ago. It's had to deal with violence in some countries, protests from entire working sectors and most recently court battles, where taxi industries attempt to shut it out of their industry. The latest battle faced by the app based transport company will be in London, where Uber will have to deal with Transport for London's interest to implement new rules which could make it impossible for the firm to operate within the British capital.

Uber's entire service is built around convenience and speed, whereby a customer can find a hire car – of admittedly dubious qualification – within minutes, rather than hailing a taxi or calling a related firm. That's something that won't be possible under proposed TfL laws, which would introduce a mandatory minimum five minute wait time between hailing a vehicle and actually getting into it, as well as a ban on calling for a car using an application.

Now the high court will decide whether such measures are warranted or indeed fair. While they would certainly favour traditional taxis, placing those sorts of restrictions would inhibit innovation and make it so that the already operating taxi companies are unable to bring about faster services for their customers in the future, or indeed attempt to link up with them using a simplistic application.

uberlondon
It can't be that bad, Uber is still advertising for more London based drivers

This has been the problem faced by Uber all over the world, in various markets. While taxi drivers certainly face stiff competition from their service, that is often because they are unable to compete legitimately due to heavy licensing costs and a lack of technological advancement in their businesses. It's hoped by some that even if Uber is restricted in some countries it will at least encourage a lifting on transport company restrictions to help modernise many aspects of the industry.

Uber remains confident it can continue to operate within London though, with one spokesperson saying that any ruling “would not affect Uber’s license in London, or its ability to operate here.” It's not exactly clear how that could happen, but it is thought that Uber may be able to circumvent any negative ruling with a few changes to how its application works.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Instead of trying to shut Uber down, I'd much rather the taxi companies had their restrictions lifted a little to make it so that they could compete more evenly. Shutting down innovation for the sake of maintaining a status quo is silly. 

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Users and business heads come out in support of Uber London https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/users-and-business-heads-come-out-in-support-of-uber-london/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/users-and-business-heads-come-out-in-support-of-uber-london/#respond Thu, 01 Oct 2015 08:16:37 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=270193 The app-based, ride hailing service, Uber, has faced a lot of criticism as it's launched around the world, with governments and local authorities unsure how to deal with the relatively unregulated platform, and taxi drivers facing a very disruptive competitor to their long-standing monopoly on taking people from A-to-B. The same was set to happen …

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The app-based, ride hailing service, Uber, has faced a lot of criticism as it's launched around the world, with governments and local authorities unsure how to deal with the relatively unregulated platform, and taxi drivers facing a very disruptive competitor to their long-standing monopoly on taking people from A-to-B. The same was set to happen in London, but consumers and business leaders have now come out in support of Uber, suggesting that blocking it in any way would stifle the city's penchant for innovation.

This initially kicked off when documents were revealed that showed local government body, Transport for London (TfL) planning to ban several of Uber's key features and stack the odds against it. Measures like forcing a minimum wait time of five minutes between hailing a vehicle and getting into it and banning booking a hire-car via an app.

That backwards thinking has got many people hopping mad, and has prompted a backlash from groups like the Institute of Directors (Iod), an executive networking and representation organisation, which attacked TfL, claiming that it's plans would “damage London's reputation for innovation,” and “embed economic inefficiency,” creating “artificially high prices for passengers.”

uberprotest
Uber protests by taxi companies elsewhere in the world have even grown violent. Source: Wikimedia

However, the IoD doesn't want to just see Uber thrive and taxi firms fail. Instead, it wants the TfL to take this opportunity to overhaul the long-standing, draconian taxi laws that make it impossible for firms to compete with Uber.

“This is not a case of old companies whinging about the new kids on the block without valid cause. The traditional private hire and black cab industries have legitimate concerns about how to compete while they are shackled by pointless, twentieth-century regulations which do not reflect the way we live, work and travel,” it said in a posting.

It goes on to suggest that the TfL “strip back archaic regulation,” to aid taxi companies and make it so that they can compete directly with Uber. This it claims, would improve the service for consumers, whilst making for a healthier marketplace in London and encouraging change and innovation in the sector.

Consumers were right there with it, with more than 112,000 people signing a petition to encourage the TfL to put drivers and riders first, over bureaucracy.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Uber has been a disruptive service in many ways. Not only has it made it obvious that there are much quicker and efficient ways to get a ride somewhere, but it highlights how constricted by red tape and under-the-table payments the taxi industry is around the world. London appears to be no different. 

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Uber makes a huge loss every year https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/uber-makes-a-huge-loss-every-year/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/uber-makes-a-huge-loss-every-year/#comments Thu, 06 Aug 2015 10:42:28 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=262605 Despite being the crest of a wave of change in the way we get about our roadways, Uber, the app based taxi service which in just a few years has grown to be worth an estimated $50 billion, is said to be a financial sinkhole, losing tens of millions a year. According to newly discovered …

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Despite being the crest of a wave of change in the way we get about our roadways, Uber, the app based taxi service which in just a few years has grown to be worth an estimated $50 billion, is said to be a financial sinkhole, losing tens of millions a year. According to newly discovered financial documents, the company was said to have brought in over 50 million dollars in the first quarter of 2014, but this was nothing compared to its expenses, with left it with a $108.8 million hole in its pocket.

One of the most impressive things about Uber's meteoric rise and global expansion, has been how much investment its received. It's taken on capital from tech firms like Google, as well as many private investors and presumably its finances played a part in that. However one has to wonder how, when from 2012 to 2014 Uber made huge losses across the board.

uberlux
Come ride with Uber, where we finance everything on other people's money.

These new financial results come from a document leak by Gawker and although they show the company growing and its revenue expanding, its losses are enormous in comparison.

This is even more of a revelation since Uber has always been adamant that it is a profit making company. While investors might have been more privy to its financess – at least you would hope so – publicly, Uber has never portrayed itself as anything but a strong earner. While potentially that could be the case today – since we only have results from 2012 through to 2014 – in reality that seems unlikely to be the case.

Uber released a statement on these revelations via BusinessInsider, and was rather sarcastic about it:

“Shock, horror, Uber makes a loss. This is hardly news and old news at that,” it said. “It’s the case of business 101: you raise money, you invest money, you grow (hopefully), you make a profit and that generates a return for investors.”

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Perhaps this is how Uber has been able to grow so quickly, by being able to afford to operate at a loss and therefore undercut traditional taxi firms. Sneaky. 

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French politicians urge rethink on Taxi laws due to Uber https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/french-politicians-urge-rethink-on-taxi-laws-due-to-uber/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/french-politicians-urge-rethink-on-taxi-laws-due-to-uber/#comments Tue, 28 Jul 2015 10:44:48 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=261043 Uber has been a pretty disruptive company to the traditional taxi industries around the world. There have been protests, sometimes violent, against the use of the technology as it tends to cut into the profits of those driving standard taxis. In the aftermath of these issues, Uber has actually suspended some of its services in …

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Uber has been a pretty disruptive company to the traditional taxi industries around the world. There have been protests, sometimes violent, against the use of the technology as it tends to cut into the profits of those driving standard taxis. In the aftermath of these issues, Uber has actually suspended some of its services in France, which has led current economy minster, Emmanuel Macron to call for a rethink on taxi laws.

Although concentrated in France, this sort of reaction is being felt all over the world. In some cases, Taxi drivers have responded negatively to the perceived lack of security and background checks on Uber drivers, which don't face the same sort of regulations as traditional taxis. However, others have complained because Uber uses a smartphone GPS system to calculate a fare, rather than the usual taxi meters.

uber42

Regardless of the reason for the fall out though, clearly the driving industry needs to address these problems, which is what France's minister is hoping to achieve. Speaking at a startup convention, Macron said that he would hold talks with relevant parties in August to address the issue.

“We will find a new set of regulations that will take into account the new dynamics of the sector,” he said (via Reuters).

However much may depend on official rulings by European courts. A Spanish judge recently asked for a clarification on what sort of service Uber was legally classified as. If it was considered part of the taxi industry, more regulation may be required for drivers and the service itself.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: As much as it will likely spark more protests in the future, the popularisation of driverless vehicles will likely kill off the entire taxi industry before long.

Image source: Wikimedia

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Uber pledges to buy 500,000 automated Teslas in 2020 https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/jon-martindale/uber-pledges-to-buy-500000-automated-teslas-in-2020/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/jon-martindale/uber-pledges-to-buy-500000-automated-teslas-in-2020/#comments Wed, 08 Jul 2015 08:05:13 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=257995 Tesla's electric vehicles have become more common place on roads around the world over the past few years, as production has scaled up in line with increasing demand, but selling an entire year's worth of cars in one go would be a massive achievement for the Elon Musk founded company. That's exactly what might happen …

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Tesla's electric vehicles have become more common place on roads around the world over the past few years, as production has scaled up in line with increasing demand, but selling an entire year's worth of cars in one go would be a massive achievement for the Elon Musk founded company. That's exactly what might happen in 2020 too, as app-based taxi firm Uber has pledged to buy half a million cars from Tesla if it can make them autonomous.

Although unlikely to be an outright lie, it's important to note that while these claims were made about Travis Kalanick, Uber's CEO, they don't come directly quoted. This message comes from Tesla board member Steve Jurvetson (via Forbes), who claims Kalanick made the claims during a Top 10 Tech Trends dinner.

uberlux
Uber has previously offered journeys in vehicles from lots of different manufacturers. One day though, they may all be Tesla.

Assuming his right however, it's worth considering that although this is an attractive offer for Tesla, since selling 500,000 cars in one go would generate at least a smidge of profit for the firm, having its cars operate autonomously by 2020 is a tall order. As it stands, Tesla vehicles and those of other manufacturers offer some automated features, such as emergency autonomous braking and smart cruise control, but cars that can drive themselves on every road aren't really expected to go on sale until 2025.

In the short term, motorway automation is expected in commercial vehicles by 2017, but whether that will be enough for Uber remains to be seen, especially since the service's main business is found in cities, where heavier traffic and pedestrians create a much more difficult environment to develop autonomy for.

What will be interesting to take note of in the near future however, is whether Uber's own autonomous vehicle developments progress swiftly. It's currently working on driverless cars with Chinese search giant Baidu and may even team up with the company to buy Nokia's HERE unit.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: I would be surprised if Tesla or anyone could develop a fully autonomous car by 2020. However Tesla is said to be working on a system where its cars can overtake for the driver, just by turning on the indicator.

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