Uber will only access recordings to review safety reports.
Uber is rolling out an exciting new feature related to teen accounts. Rather than FaceTiming a teen while they’re going on a trip, parents and guardians will be able to view a live video feed from the selfie camera on the driver’s phone and get a broader look inside the vehicle. Uber says the goal is to help parents have peace of mind.
When a teen goes on a trip, their designated guardian will receive a push notification if the live stream is available. The driver may be asked to mount their phone and ensure they have a clear view of the rear seat. The parent or guardian can start watching with a simple tap, and both the teen and the driver will be notified. The flow ends when the journey ends. Uber says only a parent or guardian whose account is linked to the teen’s account will be able to view the feed.
Neither the teen, parent or driver will be able to access a recording of the video once the trip is over. Uber will store an encrypted recording, which will be automatically deleted after 14 days unless a security report is submitted. The company says it can only use a decryption key to access a recording if it needs to review an incident. In such cases, Uber will retain the recording (potentially for longer than 14 days) in accordance with its data retention policies.
Uber is testing this feature in nine locations: Atlanta, Phoenix, Orlando, Raleigh-Durham, Portland, San Antonio, Cleveland, Rhode Island and El Paso. It plans to make this live video tool available across the United States in the coming weeks.
