By Police1 Staff
SAN FRANCISCO — The Department of Justice has launched a criminal investigation into technology Uber used to allegedly evade authorities.
According to Reuters, the software, named “Greyball,” was used in areas where Uber was not approved. The technology tagged some users and provided them with a different version of the app that obscured the real location of Uber cars.
Uber said the technology was used to prevent fraud and safeguard drivers. In March, the Associated Press reported that the program identified law enforcement posing as riders in order to collect evidence to fine the ride service.
The technology mines a user’s credit card information to see if the rider was affiliated with a law enforcement credit union and assessed social media accounts, Reuters reported.
Uber said the program was used in December 2014 in Portland, when the service was operating illegally, because it was “deeply concerned that its driver-partners would be penalized financially.”