As promised, Uber is now tracking you even when your ride is over. The ride-hailing service said the surveillance—even when riders close the app—will improve its service.
The company now tracks customers from when they request a ride until five minutes after the ride has ended. According to Uber, the move will help drivers locate riders without having to call them, and it will also allow Uber to analyze whether people are being dropped off and picked up properly—like on the correct side of the street.
Uber announced that it would make the change last year to allow surveillance in the app’s background, prompting a Federal Trade Commission complaint. (PDF) The Electronic Privacy Information Center said at the time that “this collection of user’s information far exceeds what customers expect from the transportation service. Users would not expect the company to collect location information when customers are not actively using the app.” The complaint went nowhere.
— source arstechnica.com