Update, Thursday, 9:02 a.m.: Uber issued a
statement this morning, saying that it has hired data privacy expert Harriet Pearson to conduct an in-depth review of its privacy program and recommend changes. The company will respond to Senator Franken's questions in the coming weeks.
Original story:
Uber senior executive Emil Michael might get off scot-free after suggesting, over dinner with a Buzzfeed reporter and other media bigwigs, that the company might do well by hiring teams of
opposition researchers to dig up dirt on critics in the media.
The incident provoked a veritable tempest on the internet, followed by a
tweetstorm from Uber CEO Travis Kalanick, who apologized for his colleague's behavior but showed no intention of investigating, much less punishing Michael.
Another Uber higher-up,
Josh Mohrer, might no be so lucky.
After reports surfaced that Mohrer had used the Uber
"God View" app to track a BuzzFeed reporter's movements earlier this month, the company relented, and said it would
investigate the alleged privacy violation.
