Uber says it has discliplined its manager accused of tracking a journalist
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Uber says it's completed an investigation into one of its managers, who earlier this month was accused of improperly using the transportation company's tools to track the travels of a journalist. Slate reports that the company has taken "disciplinary actions" against Josh Mohrer, general manager of Uber New York, though it's currently unclear just what that means. Mohrer reportedly still has his same job at the company, and Uber officials are not making public any of their own findings into the matter.
STILL ON THE JOB
Mohrer was accused of improperly using an internal "God View" tool that lets employees track the location of both Uber vehicles and customers that are using the system. According to a recent report in Buzzfeed News, Mohrer used the tool to track the whereabouts of Buzzfeed reporter Johana Bhuiyan while she was on her way to a meeting at Uber's Long Island City headquarters. Under the Uber's own privacy guidelines, that tool was explicitly limited in use to "legitimate business purposes," prompting questions into how many people at the company had access to it.
When asked for more detail on any sanctions against Mohrer, an Uber spokesperson said only that "the review by [law firm] Hogan Lovells that is already underway will evaluate our privacy policies and practices, including employee training and compliance."
The Mohrer incident came alongside controversial comments made by Uber's senior vice president of business, Emil Michael, who while at a private dinner in New York, suggested spending $1 million to dig up dirt on journalists using a team of "opposition researchers." Michael believed the entire conversation to be strictly off-the-record, something Buzzfeeddisputed after publishing the remarks. Uber denied that such an effort was underway or in the works, and a recent Bloomberg report suggested Michael's job is safe. The incident is separate from Mohrer, though raised further questions about the company's privacy practices.
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