# Uber reads texts



## Kinglack (Jun 30, 2015)

Odviously uber can read our text messaging to pax right?


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## RockinEZ (Apr 29, 2015)

Yep, and they record the phone calls. 
Do they want to spend the money to read them, or listen to them? 
Only if $$ is on the line. 

They also have permission (from you) to tap into video and audio on your phone.... Oh well
Big Brother is here, and his name is Uber.


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## HvyGear (Aug 11, 2015)

RockinEZ

How true is this about the mic and recording. Do you think it records when you are not logged in as well?


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## D Town (Apr 8, 2015)

HvyGear said:


> RockinEZ
> 
> How true is this about the mic and recording. Do you think it records when you are not logged in as well?


No. Do you have any concept of how much storage it would take to keep all the audio from every driver who is online for even a single day? The bandwidth usage on your phone alone would be through the roof so YOU'D notice pretty damn quick but the logistics for Uber would consume a moronic amount of computing power not to mention the cost of having people go through all that garbage looking for anything useful...and what the hell are YOU or ANY of us saying that Travis gives two sh*ts about? Nothing. Nada. Zero. They don't give a sh*t what we say.

This myth just won't die...


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## GeladaMate (Apr 3, 2015)

D Town said:


> No. Do you have any concept of how much storage it would take to keep all the audio from every driver who is online for even a single day? The bandwidth usage on your phone alone would be through the roof so YOU'D notice pretty damn quick but the logistics for Uber would consume a moronic amount of computing power not to mention the cost of having people go through all that garbage looking for anything useful...and what the hell are YOU or ANY of us saying that Travis gives two sh*ts about? Nothing. Nada. Zero. They don't give a sh*t what we say.
> 
> This myth just won't die...


What if they only monitor a select few, like 10 male/female of every race of 5 different age groups. Why do this? Scientific research, entertainment , market research...... p.s. it is fun being bored....it is time you stop reading and got back out on the road so we can see how you deal with Ugly chick vs Pretty chick with pet scenario.


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## D Town (Apr 8, 2015)

GeladaMate said:


> What if they only monitor a select few, like 10 male/female of every race of 5 different age groups. Why do this? Scientific research, entertainment , market research...... p.s. it is fun being bored....it is time you stop reading and got back out on the road so we can see how you deal with Ugly chick vs Pretty chick with pet scenario.


Not sure why I even tried to explain this...those who believe it ALWAYS have a "what if" to justify their belief. Here's an idea. If you're convinced their doing this STOP DRIVING FOR UBER AND GET A NEW PHONE.


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## GeladaMate (Apr 3, 2015)

D Town said:


> Not sure why I even tried to explain this...those who believe it ALWAYS have a "what if" to justify their belief. Here's an idea. If you're convinced their doing this STOP DRIVING FOR UBER AND GET A NEW PHONE.


Lol I don't care if they are watching. Why do you care if I believe in things that arn't real?


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## UberHammer (Dec 5, 2014)

I once had a customer ask me while driving why Lyft left Columbus. We had a little discussion about it. It was the first and last time I've ever had a discussion about Lyft with a customer given Lyft no longer exists here.

After that week ended, my weekly summary from Uber had some customer feedback about how to improve, which was the standard "don't promote other businesses". This was the first and last time my weekly summary ever said that.

Just sayin'.....


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## RockinEZ (Apr 29, 2015)

HvyGear said:


> RockinEZ
> 
> How true is this about the mic and recording. Do you think it records when you are not logged in as well?


I don't think so. That would be a crime in most if not all states.


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## RockinEZ (Apr 29, 2015)

D Town said:


> Not sure why I even tried to explain this...those who believe it ALWAYS have a "what if" to justify their belief. Here's an idea. If you're convinced their doing this STOP DRIVING FOR UBER AND GET A NEW PHONE.


You are one of the most negative people on this forum. 
What is the problem?
You even have the guts to report other posts to the admin.

Be positive, or just go away. You offer nothing to the other members.


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## RockinEZ (Apr 29, 2015)

UberHammer said:


> I once had a customer ask me while driving why Lyft left Columbus. We had a little discussion about it. It was the first and last time I've ever had a discussion about Lyft with a customer given Lyft no longer exists here.
> 
> After that week ended, my weekly summary from Uber had some customer feedback about how to improve, which was the standard "don't promote other businesses". This was the first and last time my weekly summary ever said that.
> 
> Just sayin'.....


I have had that comment on my statement for the last 4 weeks. 
I think it is a canned statement that they put on statements. I don't mention other businesses, so it seems contrived to me.


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## RockinEZ (Apr 29, 2015)

GeladaMate said:


> What if they only monitor a select few, like 10 male/female of every race of 5 different age groups. Why do this? Scientific research, entertainment , market research...... p.s. it is fun being bored....it is time you stop reading and got back out on the road so we can see how you deal with Ugly chick vs Pretty chick with pet scenario.


Happy Typist works customer service for Uber. She says they do not monitor video or audio at this time. She also said if Uber thought it would make them money they would monitor video and audio.

The above comment about how hard it would be to monitor audio and video is just nonsense. 
The security industry monitors audio and video at millions of locations daily.

There would be very little processing needed, and Azure (the Microsoft cloud) could easily store any video or audio if Uber wanted to pay for the space. It already exists.

As far as parsing it out, word search algorithms have existed for decades.

I worked on a project for a large defense contractor that turned into the face recognition software that is currently used almost everywhere there are security issues. 
Wanna know what we used as our test data? We used facebook. Where else could you get names and faces. Pretty much why I use a fake name and a photo of WC Fields for my facebook activity.


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## GeladaMate (Apr 3, 2015)

Good to know 


RockinEZ said:


> Happy Typist works customer service for Uber. She says they do not monitor video or audio at this time. She also said if Uber thought it would make them money they would monitor video and audio.
> 
> The above comment about how hard it would be to monitor audio and video is just nonsense.
> The security industry monitors audio and video at millions of locations daily.
> ...


Good to know. I'll adjust my behavior and stop flicking boogers out my window.


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## observer (Dec 11, 2014)

Kinglack said:


> Odviously uber can read our text messaging to pax right?


Read this,

http://www.gizmag.com/uber-app-malware-android/34962/


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## RockinEZ (Apr 29, 2015)

observer said:


> Read this,
> 
> http://www.gizmag.com/uber-app-malware-android/34962/


Damn!
Thanks for the link observer. 
For those that don't want to read the entire article observer refers to, here is what the article says they gather.

Security researcher GironSec decompiled the code of the Uber Android app and found it to be collecting and sending the following information back to Uber:


*Accounts log* (Email)
*App Activity* (Name, PackageName, Process Number of activity, Processed id)
*App Data Usage* (Cache size, code size, data size, name, package name)
*App Install* (installed at, name, package name, unknown sources enabled, version code, version name)
*Battery* (health, level, plugged, present, scale, status, technology, temperature, voltage)
*Device Info* (board, brand, build version, cell number, device, device type, display, fingerprint, ip, mac address, manufacturer, model, os platform, product, sdk code, total disk space, unknown sources enabled)
*GPS* (accuracy, altitude, latitude, longitude, provider, speed)
*MMS* (from number, mms at, mmss type, service number, to number)
*NetData* (bytes received, bytes sent, connection type, interface type)
*PhoneCall* (call duration, called at, from number, phone call type, to number)
*SMS* (from number, service number, sms at, sms type, to number)
*TelephonyInfo* (cell tower id, cell tower latitude, cell tower longitude, imei, iso country code, local area code, meid, mobile country code, mobile network code, network name, network type, phone type, sim serial number, sim state, subscriber id)
*WifiConnection* (bssid, ip, linkspeed, macaddr, networkid, rssi, ssid)
*WifiNeighbors* (bssid, capabilities, frequency, level, ssid)
*Root Check* (root staus code, root status reason code, root version, sig file version)
*Malware Info* (algorithm confidence, app list, found malware, malware sdk version, package list, reason code, service list, sigfile version)


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## GeladaMate (Apr 3, 2015)

Big booty,Girl on girl, and bukkage are the Big Brothers approved videos to watch so were on same page. Nothing for me to worry about.


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## observer (Dec 11, 2014)

RockinEZ said:


> Damn!
> Thanks for the link observer.
> For those that don't want to read the entire article observer refers to, here is what the article says they gather.
> 
> ...


Yw, here's another recent article,

http://m.thenewdaily.com.au/news/2015/06/30/uber-accused-of-spying-on-its-passengers/


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## RockinEZ (Apr 29, 2015)

Does that mean they can see my MMJ delivery app? 
That business is starting to come on line where I live. They hired me as a driver a couple of months ago, but it has taken some time to get all the legal stuff done. 
They hired 18 drivers for part time work. We all had to have Live Scan clearance from the Sheriff's Dept. Then they ran into vendor verification issues. Now all cleared up. 

We should be going live next week locally. I am looking forward to it. 
It would eliminate Uber all together for me. MMJ companies do not have apps that spy on you, they have enough problems with the local authorities. 
They don't want any more attention than necessary.


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## dr9855 (Jul 18, 2015)

D Town said:


> Not sure why I even tried to explain this...those who believe it ALWAYS have a "what if" to justify their belief. Here's an idea. If you're convinced their doing this STOP DRIVING FOR UBER AND GET A NEW PHONE.


I agree. Stop complaining or quit


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## UberRidiculous (May 19, 2015)

It's real and getting worse. They'll be listening to you thru the TV & your kids toys soon too!

http://www.slate.com/blogs/future_t..._as_you_watch_tv_so_it_can_customize_ads.html

http://www.nbcnews.com/tech/gadgets/google-patents-toys-watch-listen-your-kids-n363421


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## Sacto Burbs (Dec 28, 2014)

Uber knows if you have the lyft app on. I learned that from metromile.


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## RockinEZ (Apr 29, 2015)

Yea, unfortunately I worked on some of those platforms in the past. We did not know that they would be a two way street. At DefCon in Vegas this year there was a presentation on hacking via induction coils. 

Two systems were set up. One with a video camera, one was displaying the video feed. The presenters put an induction coil on the RJ45 cable between the machines. No splices, the cable was intact. 

They did a video capture of the image, created a loop, and blocked the original video. They captured the time stamp from the original video and overlaid it on the loop video. 

This was military quality tech just a few years ago. Next year you will be able to buy this stuff. 

They also had a presentation on the GM hack that allows hackers to control GM cars using CANBUS networking with internet access.... Scary stuff.


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## UberLou (May 5, 2015)

D Town said:


> Not sure why I even tried to explain this...those who believe it ALWAYS have a "what if" to justify their belief. Here's an idea. If you're convinced their doing this STOP DRIVING FOR UBER AND GET A NEW PHONE.


I don't believe in the myth but I do find it funny how you think your opinions are always the gospel and everyone else is wrong.


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## RockinEZ (Apr 29, 2015)

It is OK to call out negative people on forums. 
This forum is here to discuss Uber driver's concerns, not bash newbies. 

If a member is negative, call that member out. 
If a member is only here to snipe newbies call that member out. 
This should be a safe place for new drivers to gather information. 

The culture of this forum is what the members want it to be. 
It was very negative just a few months ago. Members called out the negative members and slowly they disappeared. There is still some work to do, but negative members are not the people anyone wants to listen to.


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## observer (Dec 11, 2014)

Sacto Burbs said:


> Uber knows if you have theyft app on. I learned that from metromile.





RockinEZ said:


> Yea, unfortunately I worked on some of those platforms in the past. We did not know that they would be a two way street. At DefCon in Vegas this year there was a presentation on hacking via induction coils.
> 
> Two systems were set up. One with a video camera, one was displaying the video feed. The presenters put an induction coil on the RJ45 cable between the machines. No splices, the cable was intact.
> 
> ...


Did you know the Metromile dongle was hacked and hackers could screw around with the car?


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## observer (Dec 11, 2014)

http://mobile.geek.com/latest/257609-corvette-hijacked-by-hacking-its-insurance-dongle


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## RockinEZ (Apr 29, 2015)

After DefCon I am pretty sure nothing is safe other than a '57 Chevy. 
Me, I am restoring a '62 Willis Jeep station wagon just to be sure. (not)

Nothing connected to the internet or any comms is safe any more. 
Security was not a concern when these systems were designed.


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## RockinEZ (Apr 29, 2015)

UberLou said:


> I don't believe in the myth but I do find it funny how you think your opinions are always the gospel and everyone else is wrong.


Well no one believe D Town. He is one of the negative jive turkeys that was mentioned in other posts. He has no cred.


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## ReviTULize (Sep 29, 2014)

D Town said:


> No. Do you have any concept of how much storage it would take to keep all the audio from every driver who is online for even a single day? The bandwidth usage on your phone alone would be through the roof so YOU'D notice pretty damn quick but the logistics for Uber would consume a moronic amount of computing power not to mention the cost of having people go through all that garbage looking for anything useful...and what the hell are YOU or ANY of us saying that Travis gives two sh*ts about? Nothing. Nada. Zero. They don't give a sh*t what we say.
> 
> This myth just won't die...


Unless the mic recognizes specific words...Lyft, tip, cash, hate Uber, etc...

But. You're right. The data usage would be high


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## Horsebm (Jul 21, 2015)

If Uber does record audio, they can hear when I break wind and urinate in my empty Starbucks cup. I wonder if they would like a video of those bodily functions as well ?


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## RockinEZ (Apr 29, 2015)

ReviTULize said:


> Unless the mic recognizes specific words...Lyft, tip, cash, hate Uber, etc...
> 
> But. You're right. The data usage would be high


Not even the usage of Sharp Health care....

If you don't do IT.... well you know not to guess on a public forum.


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## thehappytypist (Oct 9, 2014)

CSRs recently got access to a tool that will let us see recent texts, which is a good thing. If something goes down via text, we can confirm what really happened.


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## RockinEZ (Apr 29, 2015)

There it is. Happytypist knows how it goes.


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## RockinEZ (Apr 29, 2015)

observer said:


> Did you know the Metromile dongle was hacked and hackers could screw around with the car?


Anything connected can and will be hacked. Most of the code is ancient, and known.

Pretty much why I have a spoofed IP address and dogs for an avatar.


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## D Town (Apr 8, 2015)

dr9855 said:


> I agree. Stop complaining or quit


Its not a matter of complaining or quit. Its a matter of if I believed even for a second that Uber - or any employer - was really listening in to everything I said while working I'd not work for them.


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## D Town (Apr 8, 2015)

UberLou said:


> I don't believe in the myth but I do find it funny how you think your opinions are always the gospel and everyone else is wrong.


Everyone else? No. Mostly you.


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## Sacto Burbs (Dec 28, 2014)

RockinEZ said:


> Well no one believe D Town. He is one of the negative jive turkeys that was mentioned in other posts. He has no cred.


Diagree. He is 50% credible which is why I took him off ignore.


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## Michael - Cleveland (Jan 1, 2015)

RockinEZ said:


> I don't think so. That would be a crime in most if not all states.


It's not a crime if you have given permission - which you have done by accepting the TOU for the app.
I'm not saying it's used... I've no idea (and don't care much either way).


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## mjw666 (Aug 14, 2015)

UberHammer said:


> I once had a customer ask me while driving why Lyft left Columbus. We had a little discussion about it. It was the first and last time I've ever had a discussion about Lyft with a customer given Lyft no longer exists here.
> 
> After that week ended, my weekly summary from Uber had some customer feedback about how to improve, which was the standard "don't promote other businesses". This was the first and last time my weekly summary ever said that.
> 
> Just sayin'.....


I had this happen too.....Don't complain about something after you ask me about it.........


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## RockinEZ (Apr 29, 2015)

D Town said:


> Its not a matter of complaining or quit. Its a matter of if I believed even for a second that Uber - or any employer - was really listening in to everything I said while working I'd not work for them.


None of us believe you work dawg.......


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## Choochie (Jan 4, 2015)

Well I doubt they have the time to listen to all of us because I've said some negative things about Guber to customers! And they keep emailing me to get out and drive
Not to say they couldn't if there was a reason. 
They probably like my singing in between pax pickups.


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## Oh My (Dec 26, 2014)

GeladaMate said:


> Good to know
> 
> Good to know. I'll adjust my behavior and stop flicking boogers out my window.


I always wondered what they thought about the lyrics I make up to sing along to songs on the radio.


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## Michael - Cleveland (Jan 1, 2015)

Sacto Burbs said:


> Uber knows if you have the lyft app on.


Only if you run both apps on the same device.


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## Michael - Cleveland (Jan 1, 2015)

Choochie said:


> Well I doubt they have the time to listen to all of us because I've said some negative things about Guber to customers! And they keep emailing me to get out and drive
> Not to say they couldn't if there was a reason.
> They probably like my singing in between pax pickups.


You stop singing in between pickups?
I get most of my tips from paxs who pay me to stop singing.


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## Sacto Burbs (Dec 28, 2014)

Michael - Cleveland said:


> Only if you run both apps on the same device.


So I bought an Android phone just to run Uber, and then Lyft upgraded their app so that my iphone 4 wont work anymore. Adios Lyft.


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## Michael - Cleveland (Jan 1, 2015)

Sacto Burbs said:


> So I bought an Android phone just to run Uber, and then Lyft upgraded their app so that my iphone 4 wont work anymore. Adios Lyft.


can't you switch Uber to the Android and run Lyft on the iPhone ?


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## Sacto Burbs (Dec 28, 2014)

Michael - Cleveland said:


> can't you switch Uber to the Android and run Lyft on the iPhone ?


I had it that way, but I hear the new Lyft app won't run ony iPhone 4 anymore.


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## Michael - Cleveland (Jan 1, 2015)

i feel sorry for Lyft's investors.


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## Realityshark (Sep 22, 2014)

What's the difference between a "negative member " and a member who calls out Uber on their lies and bullshit?


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## MiddleClassedOut (Jun 11, 2015)

Can confirm they take action on texts.

Since I am during non-surge times making a lot more money on Lyft, sometimes I ran the Uber app and texted passengers my Lyft referal code with an offer of turning it into a free ride (and getting me $10). They sent me a text telling me I'd mentioned a competitor in a text to a passenger and that this kind of behavior is not tolerated. It's good to know they're probably not monitoring phone calls. I've switched to calling them. Who doesn't want a free ride?

But they didn't deactivate me. I wonder how many drivers they have with ratings higher than 4.7 left. A Lyft Pax told me she was once actually picked up by an Uber driver with a 3.6!


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## Choochie (Jan 4, 2015)

MiddleClassedOut said:


> Can confirm they take action on texts.
> 
> Since I am during non-surge times making a lot more money on Lyft, sometimes I ran the Uber app and texted passengers my Lyft referal code with an offer of turning it into a free ride (and getting me $10). They sent me a text telling me I'd mentioned a competitor in a text to a passenger and that this kind of behavior is not tolerated. It's good to know they're probably not monitoring phone calls. I've switched to calling them. Who doesn't want a free ride?
> 
> But they didn't deactivate me. I wonder how many drivers they have with ratings higher than 4.7 left. A Lyft Pax told me she was once actually picked up by an Uber driver with a 3.6!


They probably have keyword activation and deactivation


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## Oh My (Dec 26, 2014)

I did tell one chatty, nosy rider that they have access to our phone's microphone just to shut her up. It worked.


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## Choochie (Jan 4, 2015)

Oh My said:


> I did tell one chatty, nosy rider that they have access to our phone's microphone just to shut her up. It worked.


So was she trying to get your shoe size or bank account info? Just turn the volume up on the radio and start singing.


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## Oscar Levant (Aug 15, 2014)

RockinEZ said:


> Yep, and they record the phone calls.
> Do they want to spend the money to read them, or listen to them?
> Only if $$ is on the line.
> 
> ...


when I first signed on to Uber I was asked the question can we enable mic to which I denied so where does it say Uber is granted permission for video and audio?

I just checked my Uber iPhone's microphone it is disabled so they cant listen via the mic. this is also why I like to keep the two phones separate.


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## Michael - Cleveland (Jan 1, 2015)

Oscar Levant said:


> when I first signed on to Uber I was asked the question can we enable mic to which I denied so where does it say Uber is granted permission for video and audio?


It's not in your partner agreement -
*It's in the permissions you agreed to when you installed the app*.
It's under CAMERA which gives the app permission to take photos and video. 
(I do not know if "video" includes voice)


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## Sydney Uber (Apr 15, 2014)

RockinEZ said:


> I don't think so. That would be a crime in most if not all states.


And Uber is a clean skin! They'd never contemplate breaking ANY laws!


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## RainbowPlate (Jul 12, 2015)

This is an urban legend that transcends Uberlyft and has been hurled at countless apps.

Giving permission to the app to use a phone feature (e.g., microphone) is NOT the same as giving the app developer permission to use that feature without your knowledge.

Example: You give the Facebook app permission to use your phone's camera. That means only that you can take a pic through the app directly. It does NOT mean FB can take a picture anytime it likes.

Also, recording your Uberlyft phone calls (which they make possible through their software in the first place) is -- DUH -- not the same as turning on your phone's mic without your knowledge or consent.


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## JaxBeachDriver (Nov 27, 2014)

Kinglack said:


> Odviously uber can read our text messaging to pax right?


Odviously: an oddity that is obvious.

#wordoftheyear


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## Oscar Levant (Aug 15, 2014)

Michael - Cleveland said:


> It's not in your partner agreement -
> *It's in the permissions you agreed to when you installed the app*.
> It's under CAMERA which gives the app permission to take photos and video.
> (I do not know if "video" includes voice)


I took a Uber Iphone, app already installed. I recall app asking me for permission to enable mic, which I declined.
I checked mic, it's disabled. On updates, I'm never shown a permissions screen.


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## Kinglack (Jun 30, 2015)

Guys, so let's say a passenger complains about something do you think uber will go back and listen to the conversation between the driver and pax?


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## Casuale Haberdasher (Dec 7, 2014)

RockinEZ said:


> Does that mean they can see my MMJ delivery app?
> That business is starting to come on line where I live. They hired me as a driver a couple of months ago, but it has taken some time to get all the legal stuff done.
> They hired 18 drivers for part time work. We all had to have Live Scan clearance from the Sheriff's Dept. Then they ran into vendor verification issues. Now all cleared up.
> 
> ...


POST # 18/RockinEZ: Turning the Green
Buds into
"Long Green"....the Dead Presidential Ones.


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## Michael - Cleveland (Jan 1, 2015)

Kinglack said:


> Guys, so let's say a passenger complains about something do you think uber will go back and listen to the conversation between the driver and pax?


I don't know.
I also don't care...
because I always communicate with paxs (txt, phone, in-persn) as if my grandmother were listening to the conversation.


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## RockinEZ (Apr 29, 2015)

D Town said:


> No. Do you have any concept of how much storage it would take to keep all the audio from every driver who is online for even a single day? The bandwidth usage on your phone alone would be through the roof so YOU'D notice pretty damn quick but the logistics for Uber would consume a moronic amount of computing power not to mention the cost of having people go through all that garbage looking for anything useful...and what the hell are YOU or ANY of us saying that Travis gives two sh*ts about? Nothing. Nada. Zero. They don't give a sh*t what we say.
> 
> This myth just won't die...


Actually recording everything is not impossible at all. It has a smaller footprint than you would think. One of my clients is a video on demand company. They use huge blocks of storage on Azure. It does not cost them as much as you would think.


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## mjw666 (Aug 14, 2015)

After a passenger cancelled a ride after hanging up on me I texted Dbag. He was none too pleased. Will I Get railed for this?


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## HvyGear (Aug 11, 2015)

mjw666 said:


> After a passenger cancelled a ride after hanging up on me I texted Dbag. He was none too pleased. Will I Get railed for this?


Dw about it. If anything say it was wrong convo. You was texting your friend and ended up texting pax by accident.


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## dpv (Oct 12, 2015)

RockinEZ said:


> Yep, and they record the phone calls.
> Do they want to spend the money to read them, or listen to them?
> Only if $$ is on the line.
> 
> ...


One of the benefits of having an rooted phone is disabling some of the apps that the cell vender puts on the phone with the camera being one of the them.


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## RockinEZ (Apr 29, 2015)

dpv said:


> One of the benefits of having an rooted phone is disabling some of the apps that the cell vender puts on the phone with the camera being one of the them.


I thought Uber Partner did not run on a rooted phone. 
I haven't tried it.


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## dpv (Oct 12, 2015)

RockinEZ said:


> I thought Uber Partner did not run on a rooted phone.
> I haven't tried it.


I don't think Uber really cares weather or not your phone is rooted as long as you're making them money.


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