Uber “Greyball” Software Now Subject of Criminal Investigation

The discovery of Uber's "Greyball" software drew widespread public criticism to the ride-hailing company, and now it has prompted a criminal investigation.Reutersreports that the U.S. Department of Justice has begun an investigation into Uber's use of the software to sniff out any criminal wrongdoings.

The software was used in areas that banned or restricted Uber to hide drivers from authorities who registered and used the app. It reportedly did this by searching credit card data for credit unions affiliated with law enforcement and checking social media profiles to see if the user was a cop. If it determined the ride request was coming from the fuzz, the app would send false info and the user would never be picked up. Uber admitted Greyball helped it identify government officials. An investigation in Portland, Oregon, a city where Uber was previously banned, revealed Greyball helped the company evade 16 Portland Bureau of Transportation officials in 2014. Not long after the software's discovery, Uber promised to stop using it.

Now, two sources briefed on the matter tellReutersthat the Justice Department is in the early stages of investigating Uber, though it's not known if the company was in violation of any federal laws or if anyone will be charged. Uber was served a subpoena from a Northern California grand jury for documents related to how Greyball functioned and where it was operational. The company is also conducting its own internal investigation.

The criminal probe is the latest in a series of scandals that have come to light in recent months. Uber has been accused of systemic sexual harassment, and Google spinoff Waymo is suing the company for allegedly stealing intellectual property.

Source: Reuters