Slaughter Calls for More Authority After No-Fine FTC-Uber Settlement
The FTC 4-0-1 finalized a settlement free of financial penalty with Uber Friday over allegations the ride-hailing company “deceived consumers” about privacy and data security practices in two separate cases in 2014 and 2016, the agency announced (see 1804120056). Commissioner…
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Rebecca Kelly Slaughter called for rulemaking and civil penalty authority to deter future bad behavior and agreed with Commissioner Rohit Chopra that the agency should publicly disclose Uber's third-party reviews moving forward. Uber could be “subject to civil penalties if it fails to notify the FTC of certain future incidents involving unauthorized access to consumer information, which includes both driver and rider information,” the FTC said. The agreement requires Uber to implement a “comprehensive privacy program and for 20 years obtain biennial independent, third-party assessments” certified by the commission. Uber previously reached a $148 million settlement with state attorneys general (see 1809260055). An Uber spokesperson cited the previous statement from Chief Legal Officer Tony West, saying the company will “continue to invest in protections to keep our customers and their data safe and secure.” Chopra cited public comments from the World Privacy Forum and the Electronic Privacy Information Center that the agency should make the required audits and assessments public, rather than require access through Freedom of Information Act requests: “Proactive disclosure would be superior, given the public interest in keeping this company in compliance.” Commissioner Christine Wilson recused herself because she didn’t participate when the commission put the matter out for public comment, a spokesperson said.