This is not a good sign
It’s been less than three months since Travis Kalanick, Uber’s former chief executive officer, resigned from his position. At the time, the ride-sharing giant was dealing with a number of scandals ranging from allegations of sexual harassment to a criminal investigation into its use of police-evading software. Now, the new CEO has another problem to deal with—an FBI investigation.
Reuters reports that the FBI is looking into whether or not Uber used a program, known internally as “Hell,” to illegally interfere with a competing ride-share company. The program in question used fake Lyft accounts to let Uber track its competitor’s drivers and ride prices. Uber was also able to collect data on the drivers who worked for both companies, allowing it to potentially pressure those drivers into leaving Lyft.
The company claims the program is no longer in use, but that hasn’t stopped the investigation. If the FBI determines that the use of Hell constitutes unauthorized access of a computer, Uber could be in serious trouble.
News of this investigation comes only days after a federal judge dismissed a class-action lawsuit against Uber for its use of Hell. That’s a good sign for the company, although the judge did dismiss the complaint with leave to amend. That means the plaintiff has another chance to file a revised lawsuit. The deadline for that is September 14.
Considering how much is currently going on at Uber, we definitely don’t envy the new CEO.
Source: Reuters