Uber Aims To Keep Customer Data Safe By Quadrupling Security Staff

Uber intends to quadruple its security staff by the end of 2015, from 25 to 100 full-time staff members. This investment comes a few months after hiring ex-Facebook chief security officer Joe Sullivan to work as security chief for the mobile cab firm.

The security staff will make back-end data even more secure, while also protecting customers and drivers on the road. Uber is also working on security for staff in volatile countries like China, India and France.

Even though Uber isn’t the only company attempting cab rides over mobile, it has come under enormous amounts of pressure from governments and regular cab drivers. It was forced out of South Korea for “illegal transportation” and had to shut down UberPOP in France after protests spiraled out of control.

“Every company is a data company now, no one can be unsophisticated,” said Joe Sullivan in an interview with the Financial Times. “The challenge is half the company needs access to customer data some of the time – it is not just customer support, it is marking, engineering as they iterate, communications when they need to figure out what happened in an incident.”

Uber beefed up protection for customers inside cabs a few months back, after two rape allegations in India. Customers are now able to press a button that alerts security teams inside Uber and the police, a feature that is coming to other countries in the near future.

It is a start for the cab firm when it comes to security. Uber is still being hit hard by multiple lawsuits from ex-drivers and unions, wanting to see worker’s rights established for cab drivers. These rights would include paid leave and minimum wage.