{"id":177147,"date":"2019-11-21T19:12:13","date_gmt":"2019-11-21T11:12:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.geek.com\/featured\/-1811406\/"},"modified":"2019-11-21T19:12:13","modified_gmt":"2019-11-21T11:12:13","slug":"uber-tests-audio-recording-safety-feature-in-latin-america","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/itteacheritfreelance.hk\/test\/wordpress\/2019\/11\/21\/uber-tests-audio-recording-safety-feature-in-latin-america\/","title":{"rendered":"Uber Tests Audio Recording Safety Feature in Latin America"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Photo Credit: Uber<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

In its latest attempt to address growing safety concerns, Uber plans to let users record trip audio.<\/span><\/p>\n

The feature will be piloted in some Latin American cities<\/a> next month, before rolling out to riders and drivers in the US, as reported by<\/a> <\/span>The Washington Post<\/span><\/i>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Folks in test markets can expect a blanket warning that trips are subject to recording, and may opt in to the service for any or all journeys. Riders and drivers will not be able to listen back.<\/span><\/p>\n

“When the trip ends, the user will be asked if everything is OK and be able to report a safety incident and submit the audio recording to Uber with a few taps,” according to an email written by an Uber exec and obtained by the <\/span>Post<\/span><\/i>. “The encrypted audio file is sent to Uber’s customer support agents who will use it to better understand an incident and take the appropriate action.”<\/span><\/p>\n

What some may call an invasion of privacy, Uber hopes will help prove the truth of what happened on a contentious ride, allowing the company to take “decisive action.”<\/span><\/p>\n

“We have taken a position that whenever you are in an Uber, the feeling that we want both parties to have is ‘the lights are on,’” Sachin Kansal, head of safety products, told the <\/span>Washington Post<\/span><\/i>. “That leads to safer interaction on the platform.”<\/span><\/p>\n

The ridesharing firm did not immediately respond to Geek’s request for comment.<\/span><\/p>\n

Uber’s Latin America pilot<\/a> begins in December in select Mexican and Brazilian cities; a move into the United States is expected “soon,” though the timeline is still unclear and “may be difficult,” <\/span>WaPo<\/span><\/i> noted.<\/span><\/p>\n

“Laws in the United States around consent to being recorded can vary from state to state,” the email said. “But we hope to be able to make this available nationally.”<\/span><\/p>\n

In the upcoming trial, drivers can set the feature to automatically record all trips. Riders, meanwhile, must activate the function through their app’s Safety Toolkit\u2014available before entering the car.<\/span><\/p>\n

All recordings are stored in the individual’s trip history, in the event they want to report an incident later.<\/span><\/p>\n

More on Geek.com:<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n