Uber Quietly Pilots In-app Video Recording For Drivers In India

Uber has softly begun piloting in-app video signaling for its drivers successful India, TechCrunch has learned and confirmed pinch nan company. The instrumentality is meant to deter misconduct successful a marketplace wherever astir drivers do not usage dashcams, according to Uber.

Half a twelve Uber drivers successful nan Delhi–NCR region told TechCrunch they sometimes look misconduct from riders and, successful immoderate cases, are threatened pinch mendacious complaints astir their behaviour — allegations that tin lead to penalties aliases moreover relationship suspensions.

“Even female passengers walking precocious astatine nighttime insist that we travel nan way they want alternatively of what’s shown connected nan map. If we refuse, they frighten to record mendacious complaints,” said 1 driver, who requested anonymity retired of fearfulness of losing his account.

Drivers said nan in-app video signaling characteristic could thief protect them successful specified situations by providing grounds erstwhile disputes arise. Still, immoderate questioned whether Uber would backmost them successful cases involving riders, noting that passengers salary for nan travel and tin easy move to competing platforms if dissatisfied.

The pilot, which began rolling retired successful phases successful May, is now unrecorded successful 10 cities crossed India, including Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Pune, Hyderabad, Chandigarh, Kolkata, Jaipur, and Lucknow, nan institution confirmed to TechCrunch.

Riders person an in-trip notification erstwhile video signaling is active.

Uber’s notification for in-app video recordingImage Credits:Jagmeet Singh / TechCrunch

“All recordings are double-encrypted, stored connected nan device, and cannot beryllium accessed by anyone — including Uber — unless a personification chooses to stock them arsenic portion of a information report,” an Uber spokesperson said, adding that nan recordings are automatically deleted aft a week if they are not shared.

The video instrumentality builds connected Uber’s in-app audio signaling feature, which launched successful India successful 2023. Video signaling was first tested successful nan U.S. successful 2022 and is already disposable successful Canada and Brazil.

As nan aviator expands, Uber will person to equilibrium nan feature’s imaginable to defuse disputes pinch broader questions astir privateness and surveillance successful 1 of its salient markets. It is unclear erstwhile nan video signaling instrumentality will beryllium rolled retired much widely, though nan pilot’s capacity successful nan coming months is apt to style whether Uber extends it crossed India aliases to different regions.