New leak says Uber broke laws, used covert tech to expand

Uber lobbied world leaders and used “stealth” tech to halt scrutiny by investigators as the ride-hailing mounted a campaign to overcome resistance in many cities and win the world, new reports based on leaked records reveal.

The records, known as the Uber Files, were obtained by the UK Guardian newspaper and shared with the International Consortium for Investigative Journalism (ICIJ) and 42 media partners. According to the ICIJ, they contain emails, text messages, company presentations and other documents from 2013 to 2017, when Uber barged into cities in defiance of local laws and regulations, dodging taxes and seeking to largely replace local taxi models.

The documents reveal the inside story of Uber’s global expansion, how they cosied up to leaders including French President Emmanuel Macron, who at the time was the country’s economy minister, and how the company used a “kill switch” when trying to prevent investigators from accessing sensitive data during raids. In many cases, Uber defied local taxi laws and upended workers’ rights.

The files show that the company used tech smokescreens to thwart investigators in the Netherlands, Belgium, Russia, Bulgaria, Denmark, Spain and other countries. The tactics in question included giving authorities a fake version of its app to hail phantom cars that never arrived, and “blackout geofences,” which rendered the app useless in some locations, including near police stations in Denmark.

Leaked communications also show how the founder Travis Kalanick, who was in charge during the five years under review, personally directed the use of aggressive tactics during the company’s international expansion. They show that Kalanick viewed the possibility of violence against Uber drivers in France as an opportunity to build public support, and he personally ordered the use of the kill switch during a raid in Amsterdam.

The report said some Uber executives discussed leaking details of a near-fatal stabbing and other brutal attacks to the media hoping to draw negative attention to the taxi industry, the communications show.

To spread its message, Uber with the help of an advisory firm compiled lists of more than 1,850 “stakeholders,” sitting and former public officials, think tanks and citizens groups, it intended to influence in 29 countries as well as European Union institutions, the documents show.

The company also recruited a battalion of former public officials, including many former aides to President Barack Obama.

READ ALSO: Uber, Bolt drivers’ union in leadership tussle

They appealed to public officials to drop probes, change policies on workers’ rights, draft new taxi laws and relax background checks on drivers.

Uber in a statement by Jill Hazelbaker, its senior vice president of marketing and public affairs, admitted “mistakes” in the past, but insisted the company had transformed since 2017 under the leadership of its new chief executive, Dara Khosrowshahi. “We have not and will not make excuses for past behaviour that is clearly not in line with our present values,” the spokesperson said.

Uber said CEO Khosrowshahi, hired in 2017, had been tasked with transforming every aspect of how Uber operates.

“When we say Uber is a different company today, we mean it literally: 90% of current Uber employees joined after Dara became CEO,” the firm said.

Uber lobbied world leaders and used “stealth” tech to halt scrutiny by investigators as the ride-hailing mounted a campaign to overcome resistance in many cities and win the world, new reports based on leaked records reveal.

The records, known as the Uber Files, were obtained by the UK Guardian newspaper and shared with the International Consortium for Investigative Journalism (ICIJ) and 42 media partners. According to the ICIJ, they contain emails, text messages, company presentations and other documents from 2013 to 2017, when Uber barged into cities in defiance of local laws and regulations, dodging taxes and seeking to largely replace local taxi models.

The documents reveal the inside story of Uber’s global expansion, how they cosied up to leaders including French President Emmanuel Macron, who at the time was the country’s economy minister, and how the company used a “kill switch” when trying to prevent investigators from accessing sensitive data during raids. In many cases, Uber defied local taxi laws and upended workers’ rights.

The files show that the company used tech smokescreens to thwart investigators in the Netherlands, Belgium, Russia, Bulgaria, Denmark, Spain and other countries. The tactics in question included giving authorities a fake version of its app to hail phantom cars that never arrived, and “blackout geofences,” which rendered the app useless in some locations, including near police stations in Denmark.

Leaked communications also show how the founder Travis Kalanick, who was in charge during the five years under review, personally directed the use of aggressive tactics during the company’s international expansion. They show that Kalanick viewed the possibility of violence against Uber drivers in France as an opportunity to build public support, and he personally ordered the use of the kill switch during a raid in Amsterdam.

The report said some Uber executives discussed leaking details of a near-fatal stabbing and other brutal attacks to the media hoping to draw negative attention to the taxi industry, the communications show.

To spread its message, Uber with the help of an advisory firm compiled lists of more than 1,850 “stakeholders,” sitting and former public officials, think tanks and citizens groups, it intended to influence in 29 countries as well as European Union institutions, the documents show.

The company also recruited a battalion of former public officials, including many former aides to President Barack Obama.

READ ALSO: Uber, Bolt drivers’ union in leadership tussle

They appealed to public officials to drop probes, change policies on workers’ rights, draft new taxi laws and relax background checks on drivers.

Uber in a statement by Jill Hazelbaker, its senior vice president of marketing and public affairs, admitted “mistakes” in the past, but insisted the company had transformed since 2017 under the leadership of its new chief executive, Dara Khosrowshahi. “We have not and will not make excuses for past behaviour that is clearly not in line with our present values,” the spokesperson said.

Uber said CEO Khosrowshahi, hired in 2017, had been tasked with transforming every aspect of how Uber operates.

“When we say Uber is a different company today, we mean it literally: 90% of current Uber employees joined after Dara became CEO,” the firm said.