Consumer Protection
It transpired that the infamous ride, Uber, rarely monitored how its representatives utilized “God view” and they neglected to utilize essential security practices to ensure its clients’ and drivers’ protection. The program allowed Uber’s representatives to progressively track clients’ ride and access client’s personal information as well. In addition, “God view” allowed staffers access information about clients and their ride history. Consequently, the federal trade commission in USA enforced a commitment on Uber to employ an outside firm to review its customers and drivers privacy protection. Also, Uber was obliged to restrict access to assigned employees using a multi-factor confirmation, assign a third party to regulate its protection, and review its utilization. However, reports surfaced that Uber representatives still misused the system renamed “Heaven view. “ Like in Uber’s “God View” scandal, Lyft employees had been mishandling the clients’ insight program to access client’s personal information and travel history such as pick up and drop off coordinates of its startup customers.
Both Uber and Lyft admit that maintaining the privacy of their clients and drivers is essential, and specific allegations concerning an employee breach of client’s privacy would be an infringement of these policies and a reason for termination. In addition, the companies maintain that access to information is limited to specific groups that need it to carry out their duties. Essentially, both companies require their employees trained in customer information protection and reasonable use policy, which completely disable employees from accessing and utilizing clients’ information for reasons other than those required for specific roles in the organization. For this reason, employees are obliged to sign a confidentiality and reasonable use protocol that banish them from accessing, utilizing, or unveiling a client’s information outside the confines of their specific employment obligations. However, these policies are not strictly enforced as some employees admitted to have abused these policies by tracking their friends riding history and what the drivers said about them, and never got into trouble (First, 2017).
Although collecting and maintaining a client’s riding information has some benefits, such as tailoring services according to a client’s preference and collection of missing items, widespread and mismanagement access to such information can lead to prevalence of illegal activities such as fraud and discrimination which may result to significant negative financial effects on the organization. In addition, disclosure of a client’s confidential information can lead to loss of customers’ trust, confidence, and loyalty. Consequently, it is unethical to access and disclose a customer’s or driver’s information as it may jeopardize their security as well as their jobs, especially if they are federal agencies in high-profile lawsuits.
Besides consulting external sources, ensuring minimum access to client’s information, communicating and applying necessary job termination on employees for information privacy or security breach, and having employees sign a confidentiality agreement, a company should also monitor its employees’ user activities by randomly sampling usage reports to point out any significant threat and initiate the necessary sanative activities on time. In addition, a company should also ensure satisfactory oversight or administration of data security programs, which is important in assessing the causes of security or privacy breach, screen training activities, apply necessary and consistent sanctions, approve resources for moderation and remediation of impermissible divulgences, and influence data security to be a company’s culture (First, 2017).
Although having access to a client’s sensitive information may raise once curiosity, using the information for reasons other than those required for specific roles in the company act as breach of contract, and hence punishable by law (First, 2017). Therefore, an employee should avoid using their client’s data outside the scope of their work as it may jeopardize a customer security as well.
References
First, D. (November 29, 2017). Insiders Accused of Stealing Personal Data From Homeland Security. The Caucus Blog, 2017-11. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/28/us/politics/homeland-security-personal-data-software-stolen.html