The US FBI is looking into how British users of the taxi-booking app Uber have been charged for journeys they did not either book or make.
The service said it has found no evidence of a security breach, although a number of UK users say they have had money taken from their accounts for what they call “phantom trips.”
The development comes as Uber is thrust into a political battle that could see the introduction of laws designed to curb its growth.
In response to mounting opposition to the service from London’s drivers of black cabs, London Mayor Boris Johnson is understood to be pushing for the inclusion of a proposal to cap the number of minicab licenses in the capital in this week’s Queen’s Speech.
This follows speculation that Uber users’ account credentials have been found for sale on the so-called “darknet,” a collection of thousands of Web sites that use anonymity tools to hide their Internet provider address to enable them to carry out criminal activity.
Once purchased, these accounts reportedly allow buyers to order rides using whatever payment information is on file.
The rise of Uber has prompted a furious response from London’s black-cab drivers, who told Johnson that the death of the industry would take place “on his watch” unless he revoked the app’s license.
Johnson has said that Uber’s popularity is driven by “the desire of millions of people in London to travel more cheaply,” but he seems determined to help halt its growth.
Minicabs in the capital have increased by nearly a fifth in the past year to more than 78,000.
Uber has about 14,000 drivers in London, making it the largest provider of private hires in the city.
The number of minicabs in London is thought to be increasing by about 1,000 a month, and the UK alone has 1 million registered Uber users.
Jo Bertram, the head of Uber’s business in the UK, has said new regulations should “protect people, their personal safety and their pockets, not hamper innovations they value and that make their lives easier.”
When asked about the allegedly compromised accounts, he said that Uber users should make sure that they used unique passwords and confirmed that the company had notified the US authorities that accounts had been violated as they investigate the possible security breach.
“We take any issue of this nature very seriously and after investigating have found no evidence of a breach at Uber. Attempting to access and use Uber accounts fraudulently is illegal and we notify the authorities about such activity,” Bertram said. “Anyone who is charged for a trip they did not book or take will get a refund.”
Stephen Garrett, a 27-year-old graduate student, always thought he would study in China, but first the country’s restrictive COVID-19 policies made it nearly impossible and now he has other concerns. The cost is one deterrent, but Garrett is more worried about restrictions on academic freedom and the personal risk of being stranded in China. He is not alone. Only about 700 American students are studying at Chinese universities, down from a peak of nearly 25,000 a decade ago, while there are nearly 300,000 Chinese students at US schools. Some young Americans are discouraged from investing their time in China by what they see
MAJOR DROP: CEO Tim Cook, who is visiting Hanoi, pledged the firm was committed to Vietnam after its smartphone shipments declined 9.6% annually in the first quarter Apple Inc yesterday said it would increase spending on suppliers in Vietnam, a key production hub, as CEO Tim Cook arrived in the country for a two-day visit. The iPhone maker announced the news in a statement on its Web site, but gave no details of how much it would spend or where the money would go. Cook is expected to meet programmers, content creators and students during his visit, online newspaper VnExpress reported. The visit comes as US President Joe Biden’s administration seeks to ramp up Vietnam’s role in the global tech supply chain to reduce the US’ dependence on China. Images on
New apartments in Taiwan’s major cities are getting smaller, while old apartments are increasingly occupied by older people, many of whom live alone, government data showed. The phenomenon has to do with sharpening unaffordable property prices and an aging population, property brokers said. Apartments with one bedroom that are two years old or older have gained a noticeable presence in the nation’s six special municipalities as well as Hsinchu county and city in the past five years, Evertrust Rehouse Co (永慶房產集團) found, citing data from the government’s real-price transaction platform. In Taipei, apartments with one bedroom accounted for 19 percent of deals last
US CONSCULTANT: The US Department of Commerce’s Ursula Burns is a rarely seen US government consultant to be put forward to sit on the board, nominated as an independent director Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), the world’s largest contract chipmaker, yesterday nominated 10 candidates for its new board of directors, including Ursula Burns from the US Department of Commerce. It is rare that TSMC has nominated a US government consultant to sit on its board. Burns was nominated as one of seven independent directors. She is vice chair of the department’s Advisory Council on Supply Chain Competitiveness. Burns is to stand for election at TSMC’s annual shareholders’ meeting on June 4 along with the rest of the candidates. TSMC chairman Mark Liu (劉德音) was not on the list after in December last