JUMP, Uber's Bike and Scooter Rental Business, Creates Privacy Controversy in L.A.

The battle over privacy data will move to court, as Uber and the Los Angeles Department of Transportation has been able to work out their differences regarding the use of the city's mobility data specification.

1 minute read

November 1, 2019, 2:00 PM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Uber Jump bike

paul.wasneski / Flickr

Laura Bliss reports:

The great scooter data wars of Los Angeles have officially begun. After months of skirmishing with the L.A. Department of Transportation over its collection of real-time trip data from dockless scooters and bikes, Uber filed a lawsuit and temporary restraining order against the city agency on Monday.

Bliss provides background on the developments that landed the city and the company at this moment in the history, not the least of which was the city's launch of a mobility data specification (MDS) in November of 2018. Both the California State Legislature, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), and the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) got involved over the past year. Bliss notes that despite Uber's history of privacy breaches, in this case people were concerned about the city's intentions with the data it would collect with the MDS.

As reported by Katie Pyzyk, LADOT notified Uber on Tuesday of this week that the city would suspend the company's operations as a result of the company's failure to comply with the MDS. The controversy and ensuing legal fallout also made the pages of the Wall Street Journal.

Tuesday, October 29, 2019 in CityLab

View down New York City alleyway at nighttime

Red Cities, Blue Cities, and Crime

Homicides rose across the nation in 2020 and 2021. But did they rise equally in all cities, or was the situation worse in some than in others?

March 12, 2023 - Michael Lewyn

babyt Boomer Homeowners

The Shifting Boomer Bulge: More Bad News for America’s Housing Crisis?

In the first of a two-part series, PlaceMakers’ Ben Brown interviews housing guru Arthur C. Nelson on the sweeping demographic changes complicating the housing market.

March 12, 2023 - PlaceShakers and NewsMakers

Yellow on black "Expect Delays" traffic sign

A Serious Critique of Congestion Costs and Induced Vehicle Travel Impacts

Some highway advocates continue to claim that roadway expansions are justified to reduce traffic congestion. That's not what the research shows. It's time to stop obsessing over congestion and instead strive for efficient accessibility.

March 14, 2023 - Todd Litman

A toll payment facility in Florida.

Tolling All Lanes

Bay Area transportation planners are studying a radical idea to reduce traffic congestion and fund driving alternatives: tolling all lanes on a freeway. Even more radical, the plan considers tolling parallel roads.

5 hours ago - San Francisco Chronicle

Close-up of person holding up smartphone next to contactless fare reading device on bus

Federal SMART Grants Awarded for Transportation Safety, Equity Projects

The grant program focuses on the use of technology to improve safety, accessibility, and efficiency in transportation.

6 hours ago - U.S. Department Of Transportation

Seattle Transit

Fare Enforcement Upheld by Washington Supreme Court

But using armed police to enforce fare payment is less than ideal in the eyes of the top court in the state of Washington.

7 hours ago - Crosscut

Planner II

City of Greenville

Planner I

City of Greenville

Rural Projects Coordinator (RARE AmeriCorps Member)

Resource Assistance for Rural Environments (RARE) AmeriCorps Program

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.