Introduction
The ride sharing industry has been growing rapidly over the past few years, but with that growth comes concerns about privacy and security. In a recent survey of Uber drivers in the U.S., YouGov found that only 41 percent of respondents had read Uber’s privacy policy before signing up for the service. Of those who did read Uber’s policy, 39 percent said they knew how much information would be shared with parent company Lyft.
Ride-sharing companies Uber and Lyft are facing a lot of scrutiny over their privacy policies, but in the end, it’s up to the users to decide what information they’re comfortable sharing.
Ride-sharing companies Uber and Lyft are facing a lot of scrutiny over their privacy policies, but in the end, it’s up to the users to decide what information they’re comfortable sharing.
The companies have faced criticism from lawmakers who say these ride-hailing services aren’t doing enough to protect user data. For example: In 2016 Uber paid $20 million after being accused of failing to notify drivers about a cyberattack that exposed personal information such as driver license numbers and Social Security numbers for 600,000 people who applied for jobs at the company between 2013 and 2014 (the breach occurred before Uber acquired a separate firm that had been hacked). And just last month Lyft was hit with an FTC complaint alleging that it misled consumers about how long they kept certain types of customer data collected through its platform–specifically whether or not someone had been involved in an accident while using one of its cars–and failed “to provide adequate notice” when changing what types were available upon request; among other things this led some customers’ insurance premiums go up unexpectedly because they didn’t know they needed additional coverage until after signing up with Lyft.”
According to a recent poll by YouGov, only 41 percent of those who have used an online ride-sharing service said that they had read the company’s privacy policy.
According to a recent poll by YouGov, only 41{a5ecc776959f091c949c169bc862f9277bcf9d85da7cccd96cab34960af80885} of those who have used an online ride-sharing service said that they had read the company’s privacy policy. That’s a low number and means that many people are unaware of what their data is being collected or how it’s being used.
This is especially important because your information may be shared with third parties in order to provide services like advertising or location tracking (e.g., Uber uses Google Maps). The good news is that most apps give you an option to opt out of these types of activities! If you don’t want your data shared with anyone else, be sure to check out the app before downloading it on your device so you can make sure there aren’t any surprises down the road!
Of those that had read Uber or Lyft’s privacy policies, 39 percent said that they were aware of what information is being shared with the companies’ parent organizations.
There’s a lot of information to digest, but here’s what you need to know: Uber and Lyft share some information with their parent companies. However, they don’t share everything. The two ride-hailing companies have different privacy policies and different ways of handling data sharing with the parent organizations.
Uber’s privacy policy states that it may share personal data with its affiliates in order “to provide services or sell products” or for other purposes specified by law (like protecting against fraud). Lyft doesn’t mention any specific affiliates or purposes for sharing user data in its own policy; however, both companies do state that they work with third parties who help them operate their services–and those third parties might have access to or use your info in order “to provide support services” such as customer service calls where users might give out their phone numbers so that agents can reach back out later if necessary.
While 71 percent of respondents said that they were not concerned about how their data is being used, 11 percent said they are very worried while another 18 percent said they were somewhat worried.
While 71 percent of respondents said that they were not concerned about how their data is being used, 11 percent said they are very worried while another 18 percent said they were somewhat worried.
A small portion of drivers–just 8 percent–said they were not at all concerned about how Uber or Lyft uses their information.
One reason for these concerns may be the fact that people don’t know how much access drivers have to their personal information when using these services.
The first thing to keep in mind is that Uber and Lyft drivers can see your name, birthdate, home address and email address. They also have access to your phone number (even if it’s not listed in the app).
Furthermore, Uber has been accused of improperly accessing rider data on several occasions: In 2014 an Uber executive was accused of tracking a reporter without permission; then there was an incident where an employee accessed medical records without authorization; another time where a driver was able to view rider information during an accident investigation; and yet another time when a customer found out that someone else had been using their account because they received notifications from Uber regarding missed rides they hadn’t taken themselves.
The survey found that 57 percent of drivers did not view any personal information before picking up passengers although another 30 percent said they saw names and birthdates on occasion when working for ride-sharing companies like Uber and Lyft.
You’ve probably heard the stories about how Uber and Lyft drivers have access to your personal information. But what exactly do they see? The survey found that 57 percent of drivers did not view any personal information before picking up passengers although another 30 percent said they saw names and birthdates on occasion when working for ride-sharing companies like Uber and Lyft.
The most common piece of data drivers reported seeing was the passenger’s name, which was present in 58 percent of cases. Birthdates were also visible in around half (49 percent) of rideshare trips taken by participants–and this is noteworthy because federal law prohibits anyone under age 18 from using these services without adult supervision (and sometimes even then). Additionally, other demographic information like gender seemed less common than other details: only 22 percent said they could identify customers’ genders through their profile pictures or photos taken during rides; 10 percent knew what race people belonged to based on their user profiles; 6 percent could tell whether someone had children based on photos posted publicly online; 3 percent knew whether people were married based on wedding rings shown in pics uploaded onto social media sites such as Facebook or Instagram…
Conclusion
The survey found that 57 percent of drivers did not view any personal information before picking up passengers although another 30 percent said they saw names and birthdates on occasion when working for ride-sharing companies like Uber and Lyft.
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