THE UBER FILES THE UBER FILES: FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ANSWERED
What is the Uber Files? Who was in the leak? Who is the source of the
data? What do the Uber Files reveal and why does the investigation matter? Here the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) answers these questions.
WHAT IS THE UBER FILES?
The Uber Files is a global journalism collaboration that reveals how ride-hailing juggernaut Uber stormed into markets around the world, how it used stealth technology and evasive practices to thwart regulators and law enforce- ment in at least six countries and how it deployed a group of lobbyists to court prominent world leaders to influence legislation and help it avoid taxes.
The investigation is based on a leak of more than 124,000 sensitive texts, emails, invoices, briefing notes, presentations and other documents exchanged by top Uber executives, government bureaucrats and world leaders in nearly 30 countries. More than 180 journalists have spent months searching the data for stories that are in the public interest which provide an unprecedented look into the ways Uber defied taxi laws and upended workers’ rights.
WHO LEAKED THE UBER FILES DATA?
Former top Uber lobbyist Mark MacGann came forward as the source of the Uber Files leak in an interview with The Guardian published 24 hours after the investigation’s first stories went live on Sunday 10 July.
MacGann served as Uber’s chief lobbyist for Europe, the Middle East and Africa from 2014 to 2016 and oversaw government relations and public policy in more than 40 countries. He was tasked with managing the company’s chaotic global expansion, which was rife with violations of local transportation laws.
“There is no excuse for how the company played with people’s lives,” MacGann said in an interview.
WHAT DO THE UBER FILES REVEAL?
The investigation found that Uber held undisclosed meet- ings with high-ranking political figures to ask for favours, including dropping investigations and changing policies on workers’ rights and that it discussed the public relations benefits of violence against its drivers as it engaged in
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international power struggles with taxi drivers and legisla- tors opposed to its expansion.
As Uber fought to set up shop in cities around the globe, it saved millions of dollars in taxes by routing profits through Bermuda and other offshore jurisdictions. The confidential documents, leaked to The Guardian, show that Uber sought to deflect attention from its tax liabilities by helping author- ities collect taxes from its drivers.
WHO WAS CAUGHT UP IN THE UBER FILES LEAK?
The Uber Files include communications between top Uber executives, government bureaucrats and world leaders in nearly 30 countries, between 2013 - 2017, when Uber was entering new markets, often without government approval.
In addition to high-ranking Uber executives such as founder and former CEO Travis Kalanick and then-chief lobbyist Mark MacGann, some of the more prominent names include then- Economy Minister (now French President) Emmanuel Macron, former European Commissioner Neelie Kroes, then- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and then-U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, as well George Osborne, the UK’s chancellor at the time.
A note from a meeting at the world Economic forum in Davos portrayed Osborne as a “strong advocate”.
In a statement, Osborne said it was the explicit policy of the government at the time to meet with global tech firms and “persuade them to invest in Britain, and create jobs here”.
While the Davos sitdown with Osborne was declared, the data reveals that six UK Tory cabinet ministers had meetings with Uber that were not disclosed. It is unclear if the meet- ings should have been declared, exposing confusion around how UK lobbying rules are applied.
HOW HAS UBER RESPONDED TO THE UBER FILES LEAK?
In response to questions, spokeswoman for Uber, Jill Hazelbaker, acknowledged “mistakes” and “missteps” that culminated five years ago in “one of the most infamous reckonings in the history of corporate America.”
She said Uber completely changed how it operates in 2017 after facing high-profile lawsuits and government investiga- tions that led to the ousting of Travis Kalanick and other senior executives.
AUGUST 2022
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