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Uber Testing Feature Allowing Riders to Record Driver They’re Uncomfortable With

Last week, a damning report in The Washington Post revealed that Uber’s internal investigators, the Special Investigation Unit (SIU), were supposedly trained to not report instances of misconduct of their drivers, no matter how serious, to the police.
Uber is testing a Record Audio option in the app's Safety Toolkit 11 photos
Photo: Twitter / Jane Manchun Wong
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Several current and former investigators told the publication that they were told the company’s interest prevailed over that of the victim, so they would instruct victims not to go to the police or pursue legal action. Meanwhile, drivers with 3 strikes on the record were allowed on the platform, and some of them ended up carrying out serious crimes like rape and murder.

Cases of riders jumping out of cars, or reporting to the media instances of harassment and assault which were supposedly ignored or dismissed by Uber, are a dime a dozen. The ride-sharing platform is still struggling in terms of offering and guaranteeing safety to passengers.

Uber has been quietly working on a fix that would guarantee that passengers feel safe during the ride. Hong Kong-based developer Jane Manchun Wong reverse-engineered the Uber app and discovered an unreleased feature that allows audio recording the driver if the passenger feels uncomfortable or threatened.

The Record Audio option is part of the Safety Toolkit, which includes other safety options. DigitalTrends believes that the feature could include a direct link to Uber’s emergency support team and may even allow live-streaming the audio, so Uber could send immediate help. In case the rider is in no immediate danger, the audio could be used to document the driver’s misconduct and could serve to have him or her booted from the platform.

Last month, Uber introduced RideCheck, which detects crashes and long stops, and also promises enhanced security to riders. At the same time, passengers are encouraged to check that the car they get into matches the description and details on the app, and to use the Share My Trip option, which lets family and friends get updates on the progress of the ride.

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About the author: Elena Gorgan
Elena Gorgan profile photo

Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends.
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