November 20, 2014

Al Franken Questions Uber Over Privacy

Glen Stubbe/ZUMA

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Minnesota Sen. Al Franken has taken a keen interest in tech policy since coming to Congress. As chairman of a Senate subcommittee that focuses on privacy, technology, and the law, Franken has been one of the more vocal advocates for net neutrality, fought against a proposed merger between Comcast and Time Warner, and wondered about the privacy implications of fingerprint scanners on iPhones.

Now Franken has set his sights on Uber, an on-demand car service that uses smartphone technology to match passengers who need rides with available drivers. On Wednesday, Franken wrote a letter to Uber CEO Travis Kalanick posing a series of questions about how the company handles its users’ information and how it plans to treat journalists.

Franken cited a recent Buzzfeed report that a high-level Uber executive had mooted hiring opposition researchers to investigate the personal lives of journalists who have written negatively about Uber. And he sounded particular alarm about the lack of transparency in Uber’s privacy policy, given that the company has been accused of tracking the data and routes of specific riders. “This raises serious concerns for me about the scope, transparency, and enforceability of Uber’s policies,” Franken wrote.

The senator posed ten questions to Uber’s CEO, asking how the company plans to treat journalists and how it uses and stores geolocation data. He also requested more information about the company’s so-called “God view,” which allows employees to track the whereabouts of any user who has ordered a car. Franken asked the company to respond by December 15.

Read Franken’s letter here:

 

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WE CAME UP SHORT.

We just wrapped up a shorter-than-normal, urgent-as-ever fundraising drive and we came up about $45,000 short of our $300,000 goal.

That means we're going to have upwards of $350,000, maybe more, to raise in online donations between now and June 30, when our fiscal year ends and we have to get to break-even. And even though there's zero cushion to miss the mark, we won't be all that in your face about our fundraising again until June.

So we urgently need this specific ask, what you're reading right now, to start bringing in more donations than it ever has. The reality, for these next few months and next few years, is that we have to start finding ways to grow our online supporter base in a big way—and we're optimistic we can keep making real headway by being real with you about this.

Because the bottom line: Corporations and powerful people with deep pockets will never sustain the type of journalism Mother Jones exists to do. The only investors who won’t let independent, investigative journalism down are the people who actually care about its future—you.

And we hope you might consider pitching in before moving on to whatever it is you're about to do next. We really need to see if we'll be able to raise more with this real estate on a daily basis than we have been, so we're hoping to see a promising start.

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