Uber Greyball News: Company To Review Program, Stop Targeting Regulators

Uber announced in a post that it is reviewing the Greyball technology and plans to stop using the program to target city officials and regulators.

According to a report from the New York Times, Uber used Greyball to deceive regulators in cities and countries the service was not allowed to operate in. Regulators intended to find drivers using Uber, but through the Greyball program, Uber could use options like canceling rides or displaying fake driver availability information. By doing so, Uber would prevent these regulators from being able to book an Uber ride and avoid having its drivers be caught by authorities. According to the Times, the Greyball program began in 2014 and is still regularly used by Uber.

Read: Uber Used Data Collection Tools To Avoid Authorities And Operate Illegally

In its post, Uber chief security officer Joe Sullivan said Greyball had been used for other legitimate internal purposes like testing and marketing. However, Uber still plans to take a second look at the program.

“We have started a review of the different ways this technology has been used to date,” Sullivan said. “In addition, we are expressly prohibiting its use to target action by local regulators going forward. Given the way our systems are configured, it will take some time to ensure this prohibition is fully enforced.”

Read: Uber to Hire COO After Recent Controversies

The news comes after a string of recent public stumbles for the company. Within the past two months, Uber has dealt with controversies including the #DeleteUber campaign, a $20 million Federal Trade Commission fine, sexual harassment allegations from a former employee, a second New York Times expose on its cutthroat office culture and a leaked video showing Uber CEO Travis Kalanick berating an Uber driver during a ride.