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Uber Faces Negative Reactions After Update Introduces Background GPS Tracking
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I've been using Lyft ever since this change to the Uber app. That and the redesign are just too much. The price difference has been negligible. Don't be evil Uber!
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That's exactly why I don't use Waze even though it is slightly better for the Los Angeles area.
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That's exactly why I don't use Waze even though it is slightly better for the Los Angeles area.
It clearly does. If something happens, uber knows the driver, the location and the time. If something happens en route to the destination or after drop off, uber has evidence that can help find them or prove the drivers or someone guilty.
You make a good point. So why not just make 'customer tracking' an option that people can opt in to? Why ram it down everyone's throats? And if y'all really believe that they only track you 5 minutes after a ride, then I can't help ya....
I don't get it. What is Uber supposed to do if "something happens" after a customer has left the car? And how would they even know if "something has happened"?
Look at what you wrote. Think about all the places it goes off the rails related to the topic.
1. If something happens, uber knows the driver, the location and the time. - Uber already knows this information. Has nothing to do with tracking customers for 5 additional minutes.
2. If something happens en route to the destination - Has nothing to do with tracking customers for 5 additional minutes.
3. or after drop off, uber has evidence that can help find them or prove the drivers or someone guilty. - what evidence and evidence of what? This is asinine. If I was going to do something to someone I could simply... wait for it... pun intended btw... do it after the 5 minute tracking period. No amount of mental gymnastics is going to make the 5 minute tracking a safety or security issue. They're not going to know what happened. They'd know where the phone was when they stopped tracking.
No, it's not a good point. It's not even partially thought out properly. Security that depends on the off chance that something will happen to you in under 5 minutes of leaving an Uber isn't security. That's just plain stupid.
If they don't make it to destination, there's evidence something happened... And if driver knows they have to get to destination, the driver could drop them off, circle around block, and come back... Again, a great feature for evidence for court, but should be opt-in, not mandatory.
69Mustang I think you mistook me for someone who supports the additional tracking and lack of control over location services. I am 100% against it. Just saying if some people actually believe Uber's BS reasons for it then let them enable "ALWAYS". For the rest of us, I would like to have the option of "while using the app" back.
I just hope you don't work in law, with your train of thought and response... It's complete garbage.
Completely agree. And how would they know if the driver is there? Wouldn't a criminal just disable location services for the duration? And if this is the point they could change the driver software not the customer app. And the line about better routing and crossing the street, please. How do they know you didn't see a friend over there and change you mind? They already know the destination address I enter, and which side the car is on. If I want the other side of the street, I'll put in that address.
Completely transparent BS. They want to know where you go after you leave the car for retail/business foot traffic patterns. They turned your location services into a tracking device for their own benefit. Spyware.
Apple could resolve this issue and the same issue with other apps by simply NOT ALLOWING developers to only allow "Always" or "Off" for location services.
I don't know why Apple doesn't require the "While Using" option. They are generally pretty good about helping people protect their privacy; forcing this option to be available would definitely be a win for all of us.
I don't know why Apple doesn't require the "While Using" option. They are generally pretty good about helping people protect their privacy; forcing this option to be available would definitely be a win for all of us.
And why does Uber have to track people *after* they have left the car?
Why would a driver want to come back after dropping off the customer? Are you saying Uber drivers should routinely check up on every customer for 5 minutes after dropping them off? That doesn't make any sense.
This ^^^
Seems completely against the ethos of apple's publicly stated stance on privacy to allow other companies the ability to give us this false dilemma of always vs never, as well as a stupid situation from a usability standpoint where people like me simply go to the extra hassle of enabling then disabling location services for that particular app just before and after using it.
Cmon Apple, throw us a bone here.
B.S.!
"While Using" is what Uber used until the last update and it worked perfectly fine.
Uber is in full control of background tracking after you allow it - so nothing stops them for tracking for longer 'by mistake', etc.
Additionally, if an app is actively engaged in tracking your location for an activity like navigation, it can continue to track you after you exit the app. You can test it for yourself with Google Maps.
If Google Maps is set to "While Using", navigation will still continue to work when you exit the app; you'll just see a "Google Maps is using your location" banner on the top of the screen. When navigation ends, the banner disappears.
If it's set to "While Using" and you're not using navigation and exit Google Maps, you'll see that banner for a brief moment until the app is suspended.
If it's set to "Always", the banner never appears because you've consented to it continuing to use your location.
If you were a driver wanting to rob or do something illegal to a rider... would you do it on camera in the car, or wait until you get your money and finish the official drive, then do it? Anyone smart would consider the second option...
What camera? And how would tracking the customer's phone for 5 minutes after dropoff help against this? This is getting silly.
This. This and only this. The only three options needed to solve the problem for people who feel concerned.
But Timmy will be concentrating on designing 3 more Emojis.
Like I said multiple times, if this was an opt-in, this would be the best of both worlds. Some security but choice of freedom. It's beyond idiotic to deny that the tracking could be used for security purposes in the event something happens.
I assume, they want my information so they can sell it to spammers. I have no problem with paying for services using money. If a company wants to pay for their services by selling me to spammongers, that company can die and the people who own/work for it can do a stint on unemployment. I hope, the best they can do is a fast food job. I hope, they loose their houses.
You're ignorance of the situation doesn't mean you should call people "crybaby". Uber gets PAID in return for their service. In other words, Uber charges people a specific amount of currency in return for their services. Location and data mining should never be done without express consent. If Uber wants to track peoples location then have a pop-up appear stating so each and every time and let the people who PAY for their services decide.
You have been unable to explain how exactly Uber tracking customers after leaving the car has any security benefits. Uber is not the 911 emergency service, they have no business requesting people's location information in the name of "security". It's just a lame attempt to justify collecting potentially sensitive personal information.