A new report claims that Uber operated a top-secret software programme known as ‘Hell’ that spied on and undermined its main rival, Lyft.
That’s according to an published by The Information, which alleges that the ride-hailing giant tracked its competitor’s drivers in a bid to discover which were ‘double-apping’, or driving for both companies.
Once it identified these drivers, Uber then apparently executed some really rather skulduggery, whereby it would send more riders the way of ‘double-appers’ so that they met special Uber targets and earned bonus money.
In other words, it’s claimed it spied on rival drivers and then essentially paid them to desert its rival, Lyft.
The program, which allegedly involved Uber creating dummy Lyft accounts so it could gauge drivers’ locations, is understood to be the counterpart to its internal ‘Heaven’ or ‘God View’ app, which it uses to track its own drivers.
However, while ‘God View’ was common knowledge, only Uber’s top brass and a handful of data crunchers knew about ‘Hell’, The Information says.
Project ‘Hell’ operated between 2014 and early-2016, according to the article, with a Lyft spokesperson telling the publication that, “if true, these allegations are very concerning.”
Law firms familiar with the matter added that Uber could face a number of criminal charges in relation to the accusations.
We’ve contacted Uber for comment and will report back with any statement issued by the company.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
