Uber and Lyft have placed one of their drivers on suspension after finding out he had been filming customers and streaming the footage online. The driver livestreamed his interactions with his passengers without their consent. The footage was uploaded to Twitch, a platform that is mostly used to livestream video games.
Confidential information was compromised in the process. Full names and addresses were shared in the clips. Private conversations and other intimate interactions were also captured and shared instantly allowing Twitch users to comment on these moments in real-time.
Although the driver's accounts have now been deactivated by both Uber and Lyft, legal recourse is unlikely for the passengers. Missouri, the state in which these events took place, does not label this act as illegal because of their adherence to "one-party consent." It only takes the knowledge and consent of one participant in a conversation for its recording to be legal in the midwestern state.
The driver, who is named Jason Gargac, affirms that his actions were meant for his own security. The 32-year-old says the livestream would allow for a swift reaction is something were to happen to him: "I feel knowing if something happens, immediately there can be a response versus hopefully, you'll find my truck in a ditch three weeks later"
[via]