Between July and December 2015, Uber provided information on more than 11.6 million users and nearly 600,000 drivers to state and local regulatory agencies, the ride-sharing mobile app said Tuesday.
In its first-ever transparency report, the transportation company said it is required by law to provide certain information to government agencies, and has been asked to hand over information on trip requests, pickup and drop-off locations, and fees. Uber says it was able to negotiate “a narrower scope,” limiting the amount of information provided than was requested by regulatory agencies, for more than 42 percent of requests. In those cases, Uber deemed the request went beyond what was legally required or the information was personally or commercially sensitive. In its report, Uber lists the California Public Utilities Commission and the New Orleans Department of Safety and Permits as examples of regulatory agencies.
The company says it has “[defended] ourselves in legal proceedings before the agency or in court” in order to limit the amount of information it has released.
Customers in California were most affected by requests from regulators; there, Uber handed over information on 5.4 million riders and 299,000 drivers to local regulatory agencies. In New York City, Uber said it tried unsuccessfully to narrow the amount of information regulators requested for nearly 2.9 million users and 37,000 drivers. However, in Chicago, Uber reported it limited the scope for nearly 1.7 million users and 95,000 drivers, providing less information than requested.