A woman from Kerala has expressed worry over Uber India's privacy settings after alleging that an Uber driver sent her "creepy" WhatsApp messages. Smriti Kannan slammed Uber in a heated post on X (formerly Twitter), including screenshots of alleged chats with the driver. Uber has responded to the event by announcing that they have removed the driver's access to the platform.
The screenshots show the driver sending her a WhatsApp message to remind her of a previous ride in Kochi. When Smriti Kannan questioned him about why he was messaging her, he inquired about the scent she was wearing. In response to the unsolicited approach, the woman stopped the driver and criticized Uber India's privacy practices.
“WHAT THE F**K @Uber_India how bad are your privacy settings? An Uber driver messages me on WhatsApp and asks me creepy questions. Seriously, how safe are women???" Smriti Kannan captioned her post after sharing screenshots of the conversation on X.
According to Uber, phone numbers for riders and drivers are anonymised on all trips, and in this case, the driver acquired the phone number via the UPI app used for payment. The business stated that the driver's access to the platform had been terminated.
“Phone numbers for riders and drivers are anonymized on all Uber trips, and the number cannot be accessed through the Uber platform. In this case, the driver accessed the rider’s number through the UPI app used for payment. Uber strictly prohibits post-trip contact, and as this violates our community guidelines, the driver’s access to our platform has been revoked." Uber spokesperson said.
The post was shared on February 11 and has received over 2.3 million views. Following the viral tweet, several people questioned the cab aggregator's privacy policies and how the driver received the number.
“That’s unacceptable. Passenger privacy and safety should be non-negotiable. @Uber_India needs to address this immediately, enforce stricter policies, and ensure such breaches never happen. Women’s safety isn’t optional—it’s a fundamental right." Another commented, “Please file a police complaint. This is sick."
“It is so disturbing. These drivers know our locations too," another user remarked. "@Uber_India has hired maximum creeps. I have stopped using it. It's almost like they have reservations for perverts in their company," read a comment.
Nidhi Tara, a communication specialist, previously revealed her harrowing experience with an Uber driver in Karnataka's Mysuru. In a LinkedIn post, Ms Tara said that after scheduling a taxi, the driver became pushy and wanted Rs 2,500 more than the agreed-upon cost. When she declined, he turned aggressive and threatened her family. Fortunately, witnesses interfered, forcing him to flee the area. In her post, she encouraged authorities to take urgent action to protect families from future harassment.
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