Record My Ride will record an audio file of the trip, which you can then send to Uber if you file a safety report.
Record My Ride, the newest addition to Uber's suite of safety features, was recently rolled out in a number of cities across the United States; a Gizmodo report said. The tool enables both passengers and drivers to simply record audio over the course of a ride, which can contribute to increased safety for all parties involved.
It was tested for the first time in a variety of Latin American countries in 2019. After its success, it was rolled out to three cities in the United States near the end of 2021: Raleigh-Durham, Louisville and Kansas City. The feature has been well-accepted by users, and Uber reported that 70% of customers and drivers in Rio de Janeiro reported feeling safer while using the service. This supports Uber's claim that the feature has been well-received by consumers. As part of the rollout of the tool's growth in November 2022, Uber added support for other cities, including Cincinnati; Nashville, Tenn.; Phoenix; Salt Lake City; San Antonio and Tucson, Ariz.; among others. Due to the fact that recording regulations vary from state to state in the U.S., Uber is unable to roll out its Record My Ride feature nationwide.
The question now is, how can one utilize Record My Ride? During the trip, passengers can record their audio by tapping the blue shield button located in the bottom right corner of the map display and selecting Record Audio from the menu that appears. After the file has been created, it's immediately encrypted and saved on the user's phone, where it will remain until the user sends an attachment containing the recording to Uber's Safety Team. Until it is uploaded to Uber's servers, the audio file will only be accessible to the individuals who took part in the ride through this method.
Concerns have been raised regarding the privacy of users as well as the collection of data from them in connection with the use of the Record My Ride feature. It's common knowledge that Uber already stores a significant amount of personally identifiable information pertaining to its customers, and the addition of this service may only expand that amount. But users have been reassured by the firm that the audio recording will remain encrypted and on their phones until such time as they provide it to Uber as part of a safety report.
The ongoing fear that technology corporations are gathering user data is indeed one that should be taken seriously.
"From the beginning, our goal was to design this feature in a way that keeps the recordings secure and protects the privacy of all parties involved," Uttara Sivaram, Uber's head of Privacy and Security Public Policy, said in a statement that was emailed to Gizmodo. "That's why we built this feature to immediately encrypt the audio file and store it directly on the user's phone, ensuring that no one, not even Uber, is able to access the recording unless a user submits it to us for review."
The tool currently only records audio, but Uber is also working on a feature that will capture video in a manner comparable to a dashcam. This function is being tested with drivers in Cincinnati; Louisville, Ky.; New York City; and Santos and João Pessoa in Brazil.
Despite the fact that Uber is taking precautions to maximize the safety of its customers, the firm has been the target of a number of legal challenges throughout the years due to reports of physical and sexual attacks taking place during trips. Because of this, having safety tools like Record My Ride and the soon-to-be-released video recording option is essential for Uber, as they could go a long way toward ensuring that customers remain secure while making use of the company's services.
Record My Ride is an outstanding addition to Uber's safety features, and the company's introduction of this tool to new places in the United States is a development that is much appreciated. Nevertheless, it's crucial for Uber to ensure that the privacy of its consumers is safeguarded and that the firm does not acquire more personal data than is required.
It's vital that businesses place a priority on the safety of their users and put measures into place to avoid any harm from occurring as a result of the continuous spread of technology and the use of ride-sharing applications like Uber.