#Uber#RideHailing#GigEconomy#BigTech#Lobbying#SiliconValley: "Meanwhile, Uber has a long record of using deceptive actions to avoid regulatory oversight, most notably through a program called Greyball. In Boston, Las Vegas, and a host of European cities, it deployed a mock version of its app on the phones of unfriendly city officials to make it falsely appear that the service was not available. In some cities, it investigated passengers’ credit card accounts to help determine if they were government officials.
Where state legislatures or courts do not deliver for Uber, it turns to the ballot box. In 2019 California passed a law making companies responsible for proving that their workers were independent contractors, which opened the door to reclassifying them as employees. Uber and other gig economy companies responded by pouring $220 million into a ballot initiative, Proposition 22, which it billed as a defense of drivers’ rights. “Protecting the ability of Californians to work as independent contractors throughout the state using app-based rideshare and delivery platforms,” it stressed, “is necessary so people can continue to choose which jobs they take, to work as often or as little as they like, and to work with multiple platforms or companies.” In fact the proposition would exempt app-based workers from nearly all labor protections, including paid sick leave, retirement benefits, and workers compensation. It passed, though a group of drivers have contested its legality in the California Supreme Court. Its success is still a troubling sign of Uber’s political clout. In Massachusetts, Uber, Instacart, and Lyft raised $43 million in 2022—and $7 million so far this year—for copycat ballot initiatives."
Google's passkeys, introduced in 2022, have become a popular and secure alternative to traditional passwords, being used over 1 billion times across 400 million-plus Google accounts. These passkeys, which rely on fingerprints, face scans, or PINs for authentication, are faster and more resistant to phishing than passwords. Google plans to integrate passkeys into its Advanced Protection Program, enhancing security for high-risk users. Additionally, third-party password managers like Dashlane and 1Password can now support passkeys, further expanding their use. The technology is supported by major companies like eBay, Uber, PayPal, and Amazon, indicating a shift towards passkey-based authentication as a more secure and efficient method.
Many customers do not know they cannot get out via #Uber or #ridesharing! I refuse to deal with it when Uber STILL makes us accept those fares, drive halfway there, only to be blocked by closed roads!
My train just ran over something pretty intense. Now we’re stopped a short distance away from a railway station. The power went out. I smell burnt brakes. Let’s hope whatever we ran over wasn’t alive before we hit it…
If you’re driving #Lyft or #Uber in NJ, now is a good time to head for railway stations on the NECL between Newark Penn Station and Princeton. East-bound railway traffic is on full stop due to electrical wire problems.