Uber: It’s like hitch-hiking that you pay money for. Moreover, when you think of ridesharing apps, it’s probably the first one that comes to mind. However, it’s not always been the most ethical multinational capitalist conglomeration. In 2019, the ABC reported that Uber used an illegal spyware program to snatch drivers from the Aussie rideshare company GoCatch. That same year, the Los Angeles magazine outlined that Uber drivers in L.A protested the company cruelly cutting their pay.
To make matters worse, The Guardian has recently obtained a heap of files that put this company in a very bad light. The most recent ones reveal that Uber had unscrupulous plans for Victoria’s Premier, Daniel Andrews, after he won his 2014 election. This is because they thought he was an easier mark than his Liberal predecessor.
The Guardian also recently obtained more than 124,000 documents that detail that Uber did a stunning amount of illegal garbage between the years 2013 and 2017. This is thanks to Mark MacGann, a career lobbyist who was in Uber’s top team during these years. MacGann said that he leaked all of this info because it was his duty to speak up and morally, he didn’t have a choice on the matter.
The Dan Andrews Files
When Uber first launched in Australia in 2012, it was illegal. This is all part of its earth-wide strategy of launching, getting fans, and then asking for bureaucratic forgiveness, not permission.
They were always planning on getting accepted by Victorian politicians, but they believed that a 2014 Andrews was a better mark than the former Premier, Denis Napthine. Civic Group, a communications group that’s now a part of Civic Partnership, wrote in its Uber strategy plan, “The election of the Andrews Labor Government now provides Uber with an opportunity to advocate more actively for regulatory/legislative change.”
In 2016, Uber got one of its many wishes. The Victorian government announced it would make Uber 100% legal in this state. In 2018, this became law.
Currently, the Andrews government will neither confirm nor deny if the Premier met with Uber before this decision was made. A spokesperson instead told The Guardian, “Any meetings that occurred are conducted in line with the Victorian Government Professional Lobbyist Code.”
So, What Else Did Uber Illegally Do?
Okay, back to the mega leak. First off, Uber unlawfully schmoozed and applied unwanted pressure on government officials across the globe. They did this in the hopes that laws would be rewritten to favour the company’s ride-share business model. Uber also paid top-notch academics hundreds of thousands of dollars to publish research that said the gig economy framework was actually cool. Plus, to top it all off, they lured drivers and passengers to this service with price points that just weren’t sustainable.
This is to say nothing of Uber’s kill switch, a method that stopped law enforcement officers from gathering important info. As per The Guardian, “When an Uber office was raided, executives at the company frantically sent out instructions to IT staff to cut off access to the company’s main data systems, preventing authorities from gathering evidence.
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Okay, But Should I Delete Uber?
While you’d be hard-pressed to financially support a modern-day company that hasn’t done some shady stuff or an illegal activity or two, Uber is certainly the cream of the crop. It’s also worth mentioning that smaller ride-sharing apps just don’t have the money, the global reach, and the connections to do this much illegal activity.
Choosing whether or not to delete Uber is ultimately your own personal decision. But, if you do, MooVr is an Aussie ride-sharing app and GoCatch has promised no surge charge pricing.
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