Leaked Uber files uncovers it’s illegal expanded operations

As per the reports of the Guardian, the leaked uber files include 124,000 internal emails, text messages, and documents from inside Uber.

The leaked files allegedly highlight the tenure of the company’s former CEO Travis Kalanick – who stepped down in 2017, after being accused of promoting a toxic work culture and even ignoring gender discrimination and sexual harassment at Uber. Leaked records cover the period between 2013 and 2017.

One such file reportedly highlights how Uber blamed India’s “flawed” criminal database, instead of taking responsibility for a driver accused of raping a 25-year-old passenger in New Delhi in December 2014.

“The incident seemingly caused panic within the India unit, leading Uber’s communications head, Nairi Hourdajian to send an email to a colleague saying, “Remember that everything is not in your control and that sometimes we have problems because, well, we’re just f***ing illegal”,” a source as per India Today.

It also reports that Uber used an internal tactic called the “kill switch” to get away with raids done by the government by shutting down internal software.

It involves about Uber officials learning about possible raids at their offices and sending instructions to IT staff to cut off access to the company’s main data systems. It mainly prevents the authorities from gathering evidence.

The Guardian notes that Uber deployed this tactic at least 12 times during raids in India, France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Hungary, and Romania. Its Bengaluru office was raided by the Regional Transport Office in 2014, and separately, another raid took place in July 2021 based on non-compliance complaints.