GoKawiil
Tech News
Uber has introduced a live video streaming option for its teen accounts, letting parents watch their child's ride in real time using the driver's selfie camera. The feature is currently being tested in nine US regions, including Atlanta, Phoenix, and Portland, with a wider national rollout expected soon.
Uber announced a live video streaming feature that lets parents or guardians watch their teen's ride in real time using the driver's selfie camera. The feature, currently live in nine U.S. markets including Atlanta, Cleveland, and Rhode Island, will expand nationwide in coming weeks, and both the driver and teen are alerted whenever a parent starts watching.
Uber is expanding its teen account feature to let parents watch live video from the driver's selfie camera during a trip. The feature rolls out nationwide over the next few weeks after testing in select markets, building on existing tools like PIN verification and GPS tracking. Drivers who accept teen riders must opt in to share brief camera access, and both teen and driver are notified when a parent is watching.
A daily tech digest covers a wave of regulatory and political pushback: both US parties are souring on AI data centers ahead of midterms, Dutch regulators fined Uber nearly $1 billion for automatically deactivating drivers without human review, and TikTok agreed to pay $400 million to settle a US case over collecting children's data. Separately, New Zealand is moving to ban under-16s from social media and Chinese humanoid robots reportedly broke Usain Bolt's 100-meter record at a robotics competition.
The Dutch Data Protection Authority fined Uber roughly $966 million after finding that between 2018 and 2022 the company suspended European drivers using automated systems without meaningful human review, violating GDPR's Article 22 protections against purely automated decisions with significant consequences. The case stemmed from a 2020 complaint filed with France's CNIL by La Ligue des droits de l'Homme on behalf of over 170 drivers, and was handled by Dutch authorities since Uber's main EU base is in Amsterdam. Uber plans to appeal, arguing that fraud suspensions were brief, permanent deactivations always involved human review, and drivers had appeal options.
The Dutch Data Protection Authority has fined Uber roughly $966 million for deactivating driver accounts through automated systems without adequate human review or warning, marking one of the largest penalties issued under GDPR. The investigation stemmed from complaints, including one from former French Uber driver Brahim Ben Ali, who gathered testimony from 170 other drivers alleging similar treatment. Uber disputes the regulator's findings and plans to appeal the fine.