Uber Hack Prompts Industry Watchdogs to Call for Pause in Operations

NEW YORK, Nov. 29, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Following the disclosure that over 57 million Uber driver and rider accounts were hacked, exposing sensitive, personal information, the National Limousine Association (NLA) is calling for Uber to halt its operations and on Congress to formally investigate the incident. While the scope of the breach is still not fully known, the NLA warns the public that this information most likely goes well beyond typical credit card exposure seen in many retail hacks.

"Uber knows where you live, work, and eat - all in addition to having your credit cards on file," warned Scott Solombrino, Co-Founder of the NLA. Solombrino continued "hackers may have accessed your trip data, learning your habits and selling this information to the highest bidder for reprehensible purposes. We at the NLA call on Uber to suspend operations, allowing Congress to get a grasp on the full scope of this breach and determine any legal wrongdoings for covering up such an extensive violation of privacy. There is no way to ensure that Americans using this service are not continually being exposed and Uber must be held accountable."

In a year filled with news of catastrophic data breaches, including Equifax among many others, Uber is unique in that it retains location data, in addition to the license numbers and credit cards of its drivers. The NLA stresses that understanding the implications of such a hack requires the intervention of a governing body, that must avow that the service is safe to use before it continues to operate. Additionally, news of Uber's alleged cover up is extremely disturbing, and the pervasive and sustained illegal and unethical practices that are designed to deceive both regulators and the public need to be curbed immediately.

ABOUT THE NLA:

The National Limousine Association is a non-profit organization responsible for and dedicated to representing the interests of the private driver transportation industry at the global, national, state, and local level. It is the unified voice of this industry – linking transportation industry professionals from owners and operators to suppliers, manufacturers, regional and state limousine associations. With more than 2,000 NLA members, the Association is committed to exceeding expectations with regards to professionalism, transportation efficiency and safe riding.

For additional information on the NLA, please visit www.limo.org.

ABOUT RIDE RESPONSIBLY:

The Ride Responsibly campaign is an unprecedented effort to bridge an industry-wide gap between the rights of passengers and the responsibilities of service providers. The campaign establishes best safety practices for prearranged car services and ride-hailing app car services such as Lyft and Uber. This initiative by the National Limousine Association is designed to help address growing public concern and provide a forum for all to voice their views on the ground transportation industry. The program focuses on educating both service providers and the public about regulations, legislation and best practices within the industry. The goal is to empower and inform the public at large, and drivers and operators alike with the necessary tools to Ride Responsibly.

For additional information on Ride Responsibly™, please visit www.rideresponsibly.org.

SOURCE National Limousine Association

Related Links

http://www.limo.org.