Uber rolling out new safety feature in Baton Rouge this week

BATON ROUGE – Uber is rolling out a new safety feature they hope will help drivers and passengers feel safe while using the service. 

Beginning this week, Uber will be starting to implement a feature that allows drivers and passengers to record audio during their trip. Unless the recording is manually stopped, it will automatically stop shortly after the drive is over. 

Uber says that no one, not even the company, will be able to access the audio unless the user decides to submit it for review by a safety agent. 

“From the start, our goal was to design this feature in a way that keeps the recordings secure and protects the privacy of all parties involved,” said Uttara Sivaram, Head of Privacy and Security Public Policy. “That’s why we built this feature to immediately encrypt the audio file and store it directly on the user’s phone, ensuring that no one, not even Uber, is able to access the recording unless a user submits it to us to review. And if a driver chooses to enable this feature, it sends a message to the rider, alerting them that audio may be recorded during their trip.”

Uber hopes that the ability to review audio recorded during a trip will help the company decide the best course of action after a safety incident.