Uber staff ‘helped ex-boyfriends stalk their ex-lovers and searched for journey data of celebrities like Beyoncé’
Ward Spangenberg has claimed the taxi company has a 'lack of security' regarding customer data
A FORMER forensic investigator at Uber has claimed employees at the taxi company 'helped ex-boyfriends stalk their ex-girlfriends' and looked up trip information for celebrities such as Beyoncé.
Ward Spangenberg, who is suing the San Francisco-based company for age discrimination and whistle blower retaliation, says his former employer has a 'lack of security' regarding customer data.
Writing in a , the 45-year-old said: "Uber's lack of security regarding its customer data was resulting in employees being able to track high profile politicians, celebrities and even personal acquaintances of Uber employees, including ex-boyfriends/girlfriends, and ex-spouses."
He also told that one of the celebrities was Beyoncé.
However Uber has made it clear that it has strict policies which banned employees from accessing user's trip information, though there are some exceptions.
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Five former Uber security professionals claimed that the company still continues to allow access even after its reassurances.
They said that thousands of employees across the whole of the country could find out details of where and when each customer travels.
This news comes after a new update on the taxi app allowed Uber to collect passenger data up to five minutes after a journey has finished.
Spangenberg started working for Uber in March 2015.
He was responsible for helping to develop security procedures and responding to problems from around the world.
Spangenberg said he frequently objected to what he believed were reckless and illegal practices, and was fired 11 months later.
He claimed Uber deleted files it was legally obligated to keep and encrypted computers so government authorities could not get certain information during raids.
In a statement to Reveal, Uber aid it maintains strict policies to protect customer data and comply with legal proceedings.
It acknowledged that it had fired employees for improper access, putting the number at 'fewer than ten'.
The company also said it enforces 'strict policies and technical controls' to limit employees access to user data with 'potential violations' investigated.
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