Uber launches Express Pool in the US with cheapest fares yet

Uber seems to be addressing three different problems with the latest option it’s offering in a number of major US cities. It’s a slightly different version of Uber Pool, which lets you hop into an Uber ride that might have at least one other passenger (basically their version of carpooling). Called Uber Express Pool, this option still pairs you with other riders but lightens the load on drivers and assigns a designated pickup spot for both of you. So, instead of having to pick you both up individually, you just head to the pickup point and get picked up there.

As mentioned earlier, it addresses three different concerns. One is drivers who complain that Pool is a lot more work for more or less the same pay. Another is the riders who need the cheapest option possible. And last is the shareholders who want to see the company’s profits go up. At the moment, it’s currently available in big cities like New York City, San Francisco, and Chicago, to name a few.

Source: Android Authority

Uber and Waymo abruptly settles lawsuit

In a surprising turn of events, Uber and Waymo have agreed to settle a self-driving trade secrets lawsuit on the fifth day of the case going to trial. Uber agreed to pay out 0.3 percent of its equity, which with the company’s US$72 billion valuation, puts that at over $245 million in stock. The company has also promised to work with Waymo’s parent company Alphabet to make sure none of Google’s confidential data will be used for Uber’s self-driving program (both in the hardware and software side).

The case began over a year ago when Waymo filed a suit against Uber accusing one of its former engineers, Anthony Levandowski, of downloading around 9.7GB of data or around 14,000 files before abruptly resigning from the company and later creating his own company called Ottomotto, which was acquired by Uber a few months later.

Source: Ars Technica

Uber admits that 815,000 Canadians are affected by the data breach

Uber has admitted that more than 815,000 of their Canadian customers have had their data compromised by the data breach which Uber is accused of having tried to cover up.

Customer information that was exposed in the data breach includes the names, email addresses and mobile phone numbers of customers. It is not known if credit card orother payment information. The data breach saw the theft of information from some 57 million Uber accounts globally in October 2016. Uber reportedly paid off the hackers $100,000 to delete the data and keep the breach hidden from the public.

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Uber covered up 2016 hack that exposed personal data of 57 million users

Uber has covered up a massive 2016 hack to its system that compromised the personal data of over 57 million users and drivers globally. The ride-hailing service declined to notify affected users and instead paid hackers $100,000 to hush up the hack and delete the data. This is the latest in a string of shady practices from Uber.Bloomberg reported that fired Uber CEO Travis Kalanick was aware of the hack as early as November 2016, just a month after it occurred. Uber Chief Security Officer Joe Sullivan, and a key senior deputy to the CSO, have also been removed from the company this week, specifically for their roles in keeping the cyberattack secret.

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