Start-ups must take privacy, big data and security seriously, says Fernando Bohorquez and Jenna Felz of Baker & Hostetler, in this recent blog post. To demonstrate their point, they refer to the backlash over Uber’s recent privacy faux-pas, such as the trove of information collected about its customers and what the company is doing with it, exactly.
According to the authors, the allegations against Uber piqued the interest of Sen. Al Franken, the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology, and the Law. The senator wrote to the company, demanding information on its privacy policies and practices, citing serious concerns, say Bohorquez and Felz. Issues included whether the company had legitimate business purposes to allow its employees access to the riders’ sensitive information, a lack of transparency in its privacy policy and indefinite storage of data. Franken asked the company to make changes by today.
