Uber acquired 400,000 studies of sexual misconduct...

Between 2017 and 2022, 400,181 Uber journeys resulted in studies of sexual assault or sexual misconduct within the US, or round one each eight minutes, in line with sealed paperwork seen by The New York Times. The corporate had solely disclosed 12,522 accounts of significant sexual assaults throughout the identical time interval. The report relies on interviews with present a former workers, inner paperwork and courtroom information below seal as a part of “large-scale sexual assault litigation towards Uber.”

“There is no such thing as a ‘tolerable’ stage of sexual assault,” Uber’s US head of security Hanna Nilles advised the NYT. She added that about 75 p.c of the studies have been “much less critical,” together with feedback a couple of passenger’s look, flirting or utilizing express language. As well as, studies had not been audited by the corporate and will have embrace incorrect or fraudulent studies submitted by passengers.

Publicly, Uber has said in advertising campaigns that it is one of many most secure choices for journey, citing the rarity of assaults. Nevertheless, the NYT notes that the corporate had didn’t take actions that might possible have improved passenger safety — like pairing feminine passengers with feminine drivers, utilizing refined matching algorithms and warning passengers about components linked to assaults.

In a number of instances cited by the report, drivers with a recorded sample of inappropriate conduct have been saved on the platform after which proceeded to sexually assault passengers. It additionally exhibits that Uber rejected security measures like cameras in automobiles in order to not disrupt its enterprise mannequin dictating that drivers are contractors and never workers. It additionally stopped a possible characteristic pairing feminine drivers with feminine passengers over fears of stoking tradition wars, amongst different enterprise causes.

Uber advised the NYT that thousands and thousands of rides occur every day and overwhelming majority within the US, round 99.9 p.c happen with out incident. Nevertheless, with particulars of horrific assaults and Uber wilfully failing to take care of the issue, the report is yet another damning indictment of the corporate’s growth-above-all tradition.