L.A. Wins Round One in Battle With Uber Over Privacy and Data

Laura J. Nelson reports: "Los Angeles officials were right to suspend Uber’s permit to rent out scooters and electric bicycles in the city because the company refused to share real-time data on its riders’ trips, a hearing officer found Tuesday [February 11]."

"The 13-page decision is a blow to Uber’s subsidiary Jump, which has been fighting for more than a year against a data-sharing rule imposed by the city’s Transportation Department," according to Nelson. The drama came to a head in October 2019, when the city suspended the company's operations and the company responded with a lawsuit.

Uber spokesperson Davis White is quoted in the article describing the company's reasoning behind its resistance:

“We have been clear for months that we have serious privacy concerns about LADOT’s requirements to collect real-time, individual trip data on our riders in Los Angeles,” White said. “We believe that best in class data aggregation methods could deliver LADOT near-real time data — while protecting the identity of Los Angeles residents and our riders.”

Uber plans on appealing the decision, according to Nelson.