Uber Files

Head office of Uber, San Francisco

The Uber Files are a leaked database of Uber's activities in about 40 countries from 2013 to 2017 leaked by former senior executive Mark MacGann, who admits being "partly responsible",[1] and published by The Guardian on 10 July 2022, which shared the database of more than 124,000 files with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) and 42 other media outlets.[1][2][3][4] They included e-mails, iMessages and WhatsApp messages sent between its senior leadership, as well as memos, presentations and other internal documents.[5] The documents revealed attempts to lobby powerful figures including George Osborne, former Chancellor of the Exchequer, German chancellor Olaf Scholz during his mayorship in Hamburg, Germany, and U.S president Joe Biden during his vice presidency, along with re-elected French president Emmanuel Macron secretly aiding Uber lobbying in France during his cabinet membership on the French government. The files also document the use of tools such as "greyball", used to mislead local police, and a kill switch deployed during police raids to conceal data. Former Uber CEO Travis Kalanick dismissed concerns from other executives that sending Uber drivers to a protest in France put them at risk of violence from angry opponents in the taxi industry, saying "I think it's worth it, violence guarantees success".[6]

  1. ^ a b Lewis, Paul; Davies, Harry; O'Carroll, Lisa; Goodley, Simon; Lawrence, Felicity (11 July 2022). "The Uber whistleblower: I'm exposing a system that sold people a lie". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 11 July 2022. Retrieved 11 July 2022.
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