Editing Uber (section)

=== Ignoring and evading local regulations ===
Uber has been criticized for its strategy of generally commencing operations in a city without regard for local regulations. If faced with regulatory opposition, Uber called for public support for its service and mounted a political campaign, supported by [[lobbying]], to change regulations.<ref name=ignoring/> Uber argued that it is "a [[technology company]]" and not a taxi company, and therefore it was not subject to regulations affecting taxi companies.<ref name=ignoring/> Uber's strategy was generally to "seek forgiveness rather than permission".<ref>{{Cite news | url=https://hbr.org/2017/06/uber-cant-be-fixed-its-time-for-regulators-to-shut-it-down | title=Uber Can't Be Fixed — It's Time for Regulators to Shut It Down | first=Benjamin | last=Edelman | work=[[Harvard Business Review]] | date=June 21, 2017}}</ref> In 2014, with regards to airport pickups without a permit in California, drivers were actually told to ignore local regulations and that the company would pay for any citations.<ref>{{Cite news | url=https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/rideshare-drivers-told-to-ignore-regulations-uber-lyft-will-pay-citations-at-bay-area-airports/70918/ | title=Uber and Lyft Drivers Told to Ignore Regulations: Companies Pay Airport Citations for Drivers | first1=Elyce | last1=Kirchner | first2=David | last2=Paredes | work=[[KNTV]] | date=October 6, 2014}}</ref> Uber's response to [[California Assembly Bill 5 (2019)]], whereby it announced that it would not comply with the law, then engaged lobbyists and mounted an expensive public opinion campaign to overturn it via a ballot, was cited as an example of this policy.<ref name=ignoring>{{Cite news | title=Uber Became Big by Ignoring Laws (and It Plans to Keep Doing That) | url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/uber-became-big-by-ignoring-laws-and-it-plans-to-keep-doing-that/ | first1=Edward Jr. | last1=Ongweso | first2=Jason | last2=Koebler | work=[[Vice Media]] | date=September 11, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news | url=https://prospect.org/justice/uber-goes-back-basics-violating-law/ | title=Uber Goes Back to Basics: Violating the Law | first=ALEXANDER | last=SAMMON | work=[[The American Prospect]] | date=September 12, 2019}}</ref>

More than 124,000 Uber documents covering the five-year period from 2012 to 2017 when Uber was run by its co-founder Travis Kalanick were leaked by Mark MacGann, a [[lobbyist]] who "led Uber's efforts to win over governments across Europe, the Middle East and Africa",<ref>{{Cite news |title=The Uber whistleblower: I'm exposing a system that sold people a lie |last1=Lewis |first1=Paul |last2=Davies |first2=Harry |last3=O'Carroll |first3=Lisa |last4=Goodley |first4=Simon |last5=Lawrence |first5=Felicity |newspaper=The Guardian |date=11 July 2022 |url= https://www.theguardian.com/news/2022/jul/11/uber-files-whistleblower-lobbyist-mark-macgann}}</ref> to ''[[The Guardian]]'' newspaper and first printed on 10 July 2022 by its [[Sunday newspaper|Sunday sister]] ''[[The Observer]]''. The documents revealed attempts to lobby [[Joe Biden]], [[Olaf Scholz]] and [[George Osborne]]; how [[Emmanuel Macron]] secretly aided Uber lobbying in France, and use of a [[kill switch]] during police raids to conceal data. Travis Kalanick dismissed concerns from other executives that sending Uber drivers to a protest in France put them at risk of violence from angry opponents in the taxi industry, saying "I think it's worth it, violence guarantees success".<ref>{{Cite news |title=Uber broke laws, duped police and built secret lobbying operation, leak reveals |last1=Davies |first1=Harry |last2=Goodley |first2=Simon |last3=Lawrence |first3=Felicity |last4=Lewis |first4=Paul |last5=O'Carroll |first5=Lisa |newspaper=[[The Observer]] |date=10 July 2022 |url= https://www.theguardian.com/news/2022/jul/10/uber-files-leak-reveals-global-lobbying-campaign }}</ref>

Taxi companies sued Uber in numerous American cities, alleging that Uber's policy of violating taxi regulations was a form of unfair competition or a violation of antitrust law.<ref>{{Cite news | url=https://www.courthousenews.com/boston-cab-drivers-lose-battle-with-uber-at-first-circuit/ | title=Boston cab drivers lose battle with Uber at First Circuit|first1=Emilee | last1=Larkin| work=Courthouse News Service | date=August 6, 2021}}</ref> Although some courts did find that Uber intentionally violated the taxi rules, Uber prevailed in every case, including the only case to proceed to trial.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://digitalcommons.law.villanova.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3488&context=vlr|title=John Greil, The Unfranchised Competitor Doctrine, 66 Villanova Law Review 357, 377 (2021)|website=digitalcommons.law.villanova.edu|access-date=July 10, 2022}}</ref>

In March 2017, an investigation by ''[[The New York Times]]'' revealed that Uber developed a software tool called "Greyball" to avoid giving rides to known law enforcement officers in areas where its service was illegal such as in [[Portland, Oregon]], [[Australia]], [[South Korea]], and [[China]]. The tool identified government officials using [[geofencing]], mining credit card databases, identifying devices, and searches of social media.<ref name=nyt_greyball>{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/03/technology/uber-greyball-program-evade-authorities.html | first=Mike | last=Isaac | title=How Uber Deceives the Authorities Worldwide | work=[[The New York Times]] | date=March 3, 2017 | url-access=limited | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170305054555/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/03/technology/uber-greyball-program-evade-authorities.html | archive-date=March 5, 2017 | url-status=live | df=mdy-all}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | first=Heather | last=Somerville | work=[[Reuters]] | url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-uber-greyball-idUSKBN16G041 | title=Uber prohibits use of 'Greyball' technology to evade authorities | date=March 8, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/business/blue-sky/ct-uber-greyball-20170303-story.html | title=Uber's secret 'Greyball' program shows just how far it will go to get its way | first1=Craig | last1=Timberg | first2=Brian | last2=Fung | work=[[Chicago Tribune]] | date=March 3, 2017 | url-access=subscription | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170430185631/http://www.chicagotribune.com/bluesky/technology/ct-uber-greyball-20170303-story.html | archive-date=April 30, 2017 | url-status=live | df=mdy-all}}</ref> While at first, Uber stated that it only used the tool to identify riders that violated its [[terms of service]], after investigations by [[Portland, Oregon]],<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.oregonlive.com/commuting/index.ssf/2017/03/ubers_greyball_scheme_to_thwar.html | title=Portland to investigate Uber's 'Greyball' scheme to thwart regulators | last=Njus | first=Elliot | work=[[The Oregonian]] | date=March 6, 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180910203951/https://www.oregonlive.com/commuting/index.ssf/2017/03/ubers_greyball_scheme_to_thwar.html | archive-date=September 10, 2018 | url-status=live | df=mdy-all }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | publisher=[[Portland Bureau of Transportation]] | url=https://www.portlandoregon.gov/saltzman/article/637492 | title=Transportation Network Companies: Regulation Evasion Audit | date=April 28, 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170503033639/https://www.portlandoregon.gov/saltzman/article/637492 | archive-date=May 3, 2017 | url-status=live | df=mdy-all }}</ref><ref>{{cite news | last=Njus | first=Elliot | title=Portland may subpoena Uber over regulator-dodging 'Greyball' software | url=https://www.oregonlive.com/commuting/2017/04/portland_may_subpoena_uber_ove.html | work=[[The Oregonian]] | date=April 27, 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180910204341/https://www.oregonlive.com/commuting/index.ssf/2017/04/portland_may_subpoena_uber_ove.html | archive-date=September 10, 2018 | url-status=live | df=mdy-all}}</ref> and the [[United States Department of Justice]],<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-uber-tech-crime-exclusive/exclusive-uber-faces-criminal-probe-over-software-used-to-evade-authorities-idUSKBN1802U1 | title=Exclusive: Uber faces criminal probe over software used to evade authorities | first1=Dan | last1=Levine | first2=Joseph | last2=Menn | work=[[Reuters]] | date=May 5, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/04/technology/uber-federal-inquiry-software-greyball.html | title=Uber Faces Federal Inquiry Over Use of Greyball Tool to Evade Authorities | first1=Mike | last1=Isaac | work=[[The New York Times]] | date=May 4, 2017 | url-access=limited}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | title=Justice Department Expands Its Inquiry Into Uber's Greyball Tool | first1=Mike | last1=Isaac | work=[[The New York Times]] | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/05/technology/uber-greyball-investigation-expands.html | date=May 5, 2017 | url-access=limited}}</ref> Uber admitted to using the tool to skirt local regulations and promised not to use the tool for that purpose.<ref>{{cite news | first1=Marco | last1=della Cava | website=[[USA Today]] | url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/talkingtech/2017/03/08/uber-stop-using-greyball-target-regulators/98930282/ | title=Uber admits its ghost driver 'Greyball' tool was used to thwart regulators, vows to stop | date=March 8, 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170428093119/https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/talkingtech/2017/03/08/uber-stop-using-greyball-target-regulators/98930282/ | archive-date=April 28, 2017 | url-status=live | df=mdy-all}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=https://newsroom.uber.com/an-update-on-greyballing/ | title=An update on "greyballing" | last=Sullivan | first=Joe | publisher=Uber | date=March 8, 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170329151116/https://newsroom.uber.com/an-update-on-greyballing/ | archive-date=March 29, 2017 | url-status=live | df=mdy-all }}</ref> The use of Greyball in London was cited by [[Transport for London]] as one of the reasons for its decision not to renew Uber's private hire operator licence in September 2017.<ref>{{cite press release | url=https://tfl.gov.uk/info-for/media/press-releases/2017/september/licensing-decision-on-uber-london-limited | title=TFL decision on Uber London Limited | publisher=[[Transport for London]] | date=September 22, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.businessinsider.com/uber-lost-licence-operate-london-2017-9 | title=Uber has lost its licence to operate in London | website=[[Business Insider]] | date=September 22, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news | url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-44594058 | title=Uber to begin appeal over London licence | work=[[BBC News]] |date=June 25, 2018}}</ref> A January 2018 report by [[Bloomberg News]] stated that Uber routinely used a "panic button" system, codenamed "Ripley", that locked, powered off and changed passwords on staff computers when those offices were subjected to government raids.<ref>{{cite news | last1=Zaleski | first1=Olivia | last2=Newcomer | first2=Eric | title=Uber's Secret Tool for Keeping the Cops in the Dark | url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-01-11/uber-s-secret-tool-for-keeping-the-cops-in-the-dark | work=[[Bloomberg News]] | date=January 11, 2018 | url-access=subscription | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180921074043/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-01-11/uber-s-secret-tool-for-keeping-the-cops-in-the-dark | archive-date=September 21, 2018 | url-status=live | df=mdy-all }}</ref> Uber allegedly used this button at least 24 times, from spring 2015 until late 2016.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.businessinsider.com/report-uber-system-disrupted-government-investigations-2018-1 | title=Uber reportedly disrupted government investigations for almost 2 years with a 'secret' system called 'Ripley' | first=Mark | last=Matousek | work=[[Business Insider]] | date=January 11, 2018 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180908164928/https://www.businessinsider.com/report-uber-system-disrupted-government-investigations-2018-1 | archive-date=September 8, 2018 | url-status=live | df=mdy-all }}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/jan/11/uber-developed-secret-system-to-lock-down-staff-computers-in-a-police-raid | title=Uber developed secret system to lock down staff computers in a police raid | first=Olivia | last=Solon | work=[[The Guardian]] | date=January 11, 2018 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180111232714/https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/jan/11/uber-developed-secret-system-to-lock-down-staff-computers-in-a-police-raid | archive-date=January 11, 2018 | url-status=live | df=mdy-all }}</ref>