Back in 2014, BuzzFeed uncovered the existence of Uber’s “God View,” which allowed company employees to see the location of every Uber car and every customer who requested an Uber. In an October court declaration, former forensic investigator Samuel Ward Spangenberg said that employees regularly used “God View,” which has since been renamed “Heaven View,” to look up the locations of customers. Spangenberg is currently suing the company for age and whistleblower discrimination, and says he was fired after bringing forth his security concerns.
Per the declaration, employees used the app to track the locations of “high-profile politicians, celebrities and even personal acquaintances of Uber employees, including ex-boyfriends/girlfriends, and ex-spouses.” (They reportedly also looked up Beyoncé’s whereabouts.)
“When I was at the company, you could stalk an ex or look up anyone’s ride with the flimsiest of justifications,” Michael Sierchio, a former Uber senior security engineer, told Reveal. “It didn’t require anyone’s approval.”
According to the Guardian, Uber has fired a handful of employees (“fewer than 10”) because of their use of the tool, and have started to flag “MVP” customer searches — and while that may protect celebrities, it doesn’t do much for someone who’s being stalked by their ex.
