SAFETY


Uber Focused On New Safety Features for Riders, Driver Partners By Wade Stormer, Law Enforcement Liaison, Uber


Ridesharing options like Uber, have grown quickly over the past several years and Floridians are using them more reg- ularly in their daily lives. At Uber, we believe we have a responsibility to appropriately cooperate with law enforce- ment investigations, while also protecting the privacy of our users. Our leadership has made it clear that there is noth- ing more important than the safety of the people we serve and it’s on us to constantly improve.


Supporting Law Enforcement Our global law enforcement operations team is made up of former law enforcement professionals who have the ex- pertise to handle requests from public safety officials during active investigations. They are on call to interact with law enforcement and share information quickly when time is critical.


Uber’s Law Enforcement Outreach team acts as a liaison between Uber and law enforcement and works proactively to educate federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies on our process. The team meets face-to-face with investi- gators to provide training on Uber’s business, data and process for legally obtaining information. They are also able to utilize their investigative backgrounds to assist law enforcement officers in understanding criminal activity that may take place in the rideshare industry.


Our Law Enforcement Response Team is available 24-7 to respond to law enforcement requests and works diligently to answer questions and inquiries and to provide information after receiving subpoenas, court orders or search warrants as well as during exigent circumstances.


Uber’s ongoing investments in technology, innovation, and these law enforcement focused response and liaison teams illustrates Uber’s commitment to assist authorities while at the same time, helping ensure information requests follow our internal policies and applicable laws.


Last year, Uber launched a law enforcement only web portal (lert.uber.com) to streamline the process for law enforce- ment to obtain data that supports their investigations. This enables police to gather critical information securely and quickly when and where they need it most. Requests can be initiated either from a desktop in an office or on a mobile device in the field.


Uber’s New Safety Initiatives Recently Uber announced new features and investments, including our Safety Center, a dedicated place on the homescreen of our app, where riders can find safety tips learn about our driver screening processes, insurance protec- tions, and community guidelines.


One example includes our new Trusted Contacts feature, which allows riders to designate up to five people who they can be prompted to share trip details. This allows friends and family members to see where you are in real-time and when you’ve arrived at your destination, regardless of whether they have an Uber account.


We are also introducing an emergency button, in the Uber app that will connect riders directly with 911 in the event of an emergency. It will also share the real-time location in the app—both on a map and as an address, which riders can share directly with the 911 operator. We’ll also soon launch this feature for drivers.


Eighty percent of 911 calls come from cell phones and are sometimes routed to the wrong 911 center due to the way wireless technology works. So Uber is investing in the National Emergency Number Association’s project to improve communications between 911 call centers across the United States. In the short-term, this investment will create and enhanced, geographically searchable database to help emergency dispatchers more quickly connect callers to the cor- rect 911 center.


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