So, what could possibly go wrong? Is anyone else weirded out by this?<\/p>\n
\nUber announced today that it\u00a0will monitor some of its drivers’ behavior for things like excessive speeding or distracted driving. Starting with a trial in Houston, the program will use\u00a0Uber drivers’ own smartphones to\u00a0provide data to the company.<\/p>\n
The company will use a\u00a0phone’s gyroscopes, accelerometers, and GPS to record whether drivers break speed limits or play with their phone while the vehicle is in motion. But in this trial, Uber will only access that data if a customer has a complaint about driving standards.<\/p>\n
Always-on monitoring of driving standards may come later, according to Uber Chief Security Officer Joe Sullivan. For now, the initiative is about being able to fact-check complaints and keep the company’s rating system on the rails.<\/p>\n
Distracted driving is a serious problem<\/a>, and it’s responsible for much of the push toward self-driving cars<\/a> in the US. As companies like Zendrive have shown<\/a>, the sensors in smartphones today are very\u00a0capable of assessing\u00a0whether a phone is\u00a0being used while traveling in a car.\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n