Perhaps anything that involves video recording has some kind of controversy involved. Sure, you’ve heard stories of angered passengers because their driver was recording their video without their consent – or the other way around.
Recently, Uber has quietly launched a pilot program for its in-app video recording, first for the drivers in India. Using this tool, Uber is saying it is deterring misconduct in a market where most drivers do not use, or do not have the financial resources to invest in, dashcams.
A quiet launch, also known as a soft launch, is a strategy where a product or service of a business is released to a limited audience before a full public debut.
There are several reasons why a business would choose to do a quiet launch. Generally, it’s either they are testing the effectiveness of the product or service, or the product is just too controversial.
While it could either be the two, for Uber India, their pilot testing falls into the second category.
In-app video recording is a feature that allows users to record video directly within a specific application, often to capture on-screen activity, a user’s actions, or external context, such as sensor measurements or live interactions.
Interestingly, this feature was pilot tested out of the complaints of Uber drivers in the Indian capital, saying that they face misconduct from riders, who, in turn, complain them, reason they pay fines or get jailed. The lightest penalty is account suspension from the Uber app.
“Even female passengers traveling late at night insist that we follow the route they want instead of what’s shown on the map. If we refuse, they threaten to file false complaints,” stated a driver, speaking with Ridesharing Forum.
Drivers want to also have their defense whenever a passenger complains. So, this in-app video recording would allow them to take videos of the incident via the app. In this case, Uber is kind of “vouching” their move and recognizing their video.
“All recordings are double-encrypted, stored on the device, and cannot be accessed by anyone – including Uber – unless a user chooses to share them as part of a safety report,” a representative at Uber stated, further noting that the recordings are automatically deleted after a week if they are not shared.
It is controversial because, what if, it’s the passenger who complains that they are being recorded, especially if this feature would be used as “CCTV.”
However, these controversies are mitigated by certain features, such as riders receiving in-trip notifications when the video recording gets active.
The pilot launch is now live in 10 cities in India, including Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Pune, Kolkata, Jaipur, Chandigarh, and Lucknow.
This feature is a follow-up from Uber’s in-app audio recording feature, which launched also in India last 2023. This video recording feature is fully operational in Canada and Brazil. For more ridesharing news, sign up for your account here on this website today.