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Once again the private transport companies of Uber and Lyft find themselves in the crosshairs of public outrage. This time it is one of their drivers decided that he would livestream his passengers while they used his services. In addition to capturing their conversations, the locations associated with the ride were also captured and shared.
The St. Louis Dispatch tells us:
ST. LOUIS • On a recent Saturday night, two women in their early 20s called an Uber from Ballpark Village in downtown St. Louis.
Within minutes “Jason” arrived driving a black Chevrolet Silverado. They climbed into the pickup’s back seat, illuminated by purple lights
The driver, a bearded man in his 30s, was friendly. The women asked where he went to high school. They joked about friends they were going to meet at a bar across town.
But there was something the women didn’t know: Their driver was streaming a live video of them to the internet, and comments from viewers were pouring in.
The blonde is a 7, the brunette a 5, someone with the username “DrunkenEric” commented.
“She doesn’t sit like a lady though,” another viewer added.
“This is creepy,” said another.
The women are among hundreds of St. Louis area Uber passengers who have been streamed online without their knowledge by their driver, Jason Gargac, 32, of Florissant.
Gargac has given about 700 rides in the area since March through Uber, plus more with Lyft. Nearly all have been streamed to his channel on Twitch, a live video website popular with video gamers where Gargac goes by the username “JustSmurf.”
Previously we shared how a rider in Denver had an Uber driver declare she was being taken, not to her destination, but rather to the destination of the driver’s choosing. The passenger made a quick exit from the vehicle. This begged the question, “Is Uber safe?” By and large it is, but, but, but, yes those are three buts in a row - one must take their own safety and privacy into their own hands, always.
Riders should have open the Uber Safety portion of their app for use in the event a ride goes sideways, or you the rider feels threatened.
Here’s the NBC Nightly News coverage, the salient points are — while the privacy of the passengers were clearly invaded, the laws of Missouri did not make it illegal for the driver to record what was happening in his vehicle. With this in mind, your conversations are never private when you are in an Uber or Lyft or any other means of conveyance. The driver is always listening, and as we learned today, may also be broadcasting to the world.
