Uber CEO: We Are Working On Dashcam Technology

“There’s a lot of crazies out here in Arizona,” said Uber driver Randy Clarke in a very interesting online chat with Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi. “I just wish you guys had some sort of way for us to put our rules of our vehicle on the app so the passengers know what to expect beforehand.”

“For example, in January this guy came into my car trying to get into the front seat. I don’t like to allow people in the front seat when I’m driving alone at 11 o’clock at night. He gets mad after I cancel the ride he jumps in the back and argues with me, calls me the N-word, slams the door and leaves. What that guy did was bad and disgusting, definitely not good.”

“But if there was a way for him to know that I don’t allow people in the front seat when I’m driving with them alone I’m sure he would have just canceled there and then.”

Then Uber driver Randy Clarke gave Uber’s CEO a suggestion.  “I just wish there was a way for us to upload dashcam footage directly to you guys. Sometimes I get to run around and they transfer me to safety and support. There needs to also be some sort of way for Uber to somehow encourage the footage in case something was to happen.”

Randy added, “I think a lot of drivers are afraid of the dashcam policy you guys have in where we can’t put the footage out or we get deactivated. In my situation, I was like whatever happens happens. I showed people the footage and lo and behold he was a guy who owned a business in my community and he got a lot of crap for that.”

“Well he sounds like he deserves a lot of crap for that,” said Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi. “Dashcams and in general taping rides, etc.  is actually technology that we’re working on. There’s this fine balance with privacy concerns. You guys know with TikTok and all that stuff, privacy is rightfully a huge thing.”

“Most drivers are like you, good people that are totally open to dashcams,” says Khosrowshahi. “Hey take the footage, I have nothing to hide, this is part of my profession, I act well and I treat my riders well so they don’t have a problem. I think a lot of riders when they’re in the car they do expect privacy and they’re nervous about the balance of safety and privacy. Safety’s super important as well. They’re both important. So we’re trying to work on technologies that balance the two.”

Khosrowshahi added, “Every single state statute, by the way, is different. So you can’t have one solution. You’ve got to have a state-by-state solution that works for everybody. I really would like to get something that bridges that and balances safety and privacy, but it’s a lot of work to do so. The tech teams are totally working on it. So one day Randy we’re gonna get you that magic!”

“There are solutions you can imagine where we don’t take the dashcam footage but we only take it if you tell us that there’s an issue It’s in the cloud someplace and no one has access to it. We want to do it the right way because we should not be inappropriately watching someone if we don’t have to. It’s only for those exceptional circumstances.”

“Exactly,” says driver Randy. Some people do it for clout while others just want to do it just to make sure it doesn’t happen again. So I totally understand that.”