Confused in the crime controversy, Uber reveals new security features

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Uber has revealed a number of new security features for its application, including 911 text, pilot PIN codes, and trip reports. All this seems to be designed to protect the driver, but recent reports suggest that Uber is less interested in protecting the customer than he would have you believe.

The rideshare company has introduced many planned changes to its ecosystem, including joining its main application with UberEats so that users can only apply in one place. Most of the features look good – the partnership with Feeding America, which helps restaurants to move uneaten food to banks via Uber Eats, will be worth a golden star – but it's the safety features that are most noticeable. for the moment chosen. their release.

The most important security upgrade is 911 text messaging which, when selected, sends you a pre-written text message containing information about your Uber journey and a blank space to describe your location. 39; emergency. This is certainly something that seems useful, provided your 911 operator is equipped to receive text messages.

Another possibility is the ability to report real-time security issues to a member of Uber's security team. This feature is obviously not for emergency reporting – the report text even tells you to call 911 for immediate assistance. But if you detect a problem with your driver or runner that does not constitute an immediate danger, this would allow you, in theory, to tell Uber immediately.

The other security feature is a PIN code verification system, in which a driver must provide a PIN code of the application to his driver to verify that he is riding in the correct vehicle. The trip will not start (and the driver will not be paid) until the correct PIN has been entered.

These updates come at a time when Uber is still being repressed for his security problems. A Washington Post report this week in detail how the company's security guards have prioritized liability for passenger safety. These investigators have never been allowed to bring criminal cases to the police, no matter how serious the evidence is, nor to advise victims to go to the police or their lawyers.

A former investigator WaPo: "Investigators are the first to protect Uber; and then to protect the customer … Our job is to keep the tone of our conversations with customers and drivers so that Uber's responsibility is not engaged. "Of course, logically, it should not be surprising to hear that it's the job of a company employed to protect society, but it's still pretty cold that investigators do not have been allowed to contact the police. Do not forget that Uber is frequently accused of rape, a notorious crime for not being reported by the victims.

The inclusion of a new reporting feature therefore seems a bit rich for Uber. And the features that make sure you get in the right car do not solve the root problem. WaPo I can do all the real two-factor authentication in the world, but that will not protect me if the driver is one of the drivers that Uber allows to go out with something that covers his own buttocks.

Yet these fingers crossed help these people to have at least one person in trouble in one of Uber's cars.

All of these features are under development and we hope to see one or more on the app in the near future.

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