This modern technological dystopia we’re all trapped in continues to be a waking nightmare for individuals, both public and private. As if it weren’t bad enough that sad men with scum-encrusted keyboards could get access to our private photos or that the fate of U.S. democracy could be undermined by Russian hackers, now it seems that people with the smallest bit of security clearance can track our every movement. No offense, but in all likelihood, nobody really cares where you’re going. That is, unless you’re Beyoncé. In that case, here’s some truly terrifying news.
The Uber online transportation network is currently being sued by its former forensic investigator Samuel Ward Spangenberg, who claims that he was fired after blowing the whistle on some truly shady shit he observed in the course of his duties, The Guardian reports. According to his claims, Uber employees used the company’s “God view” on the regular to monitor the movements of “high-profile politicians, celebrities and even personal acquaintances of Uber employees, including ex-boyfriends/girlfriends, and ex-spouses.” Among those targeted was Ms. Knowles herself, Spangenberg says.
He also contends that driver and employee information was stored in an unsecure manner, and that the company has an distressingly laissez faire attitude toward local regulations and governmental oversight. According to his lawsuit, he was fired 11 months after expressing his concerns.
This is not the first time that Uber has been dinged for tolerating employee’s abuse of its “God View” tool. Buzzfeed reported on a similar claim back in 2014. For its part, Uber says its done its due diligence to crack down on this disturbing trend. In fact, “fewer than 10” employees have been fired for this breach of professionalism and privacy. Clearly, this issue has been handled.