A Virginia lawmaker believes a simple ride in a nontraditional taxi could put your personal information in jeopardy. Now that delegate is pushing for legislation to further limit the information that companies such as Uber and Lyft can collect and store about passengers.
Delegate David Bulova says while this year a law was passed that restricts transportation network companies from sharing Social Security numbers and similar information, nothing prohibits them from sharing trip data, such as pickup and drop-off locations or the route that was used. He says one transportation executive threatened to use that information to smear the reputation of an intrepid reporter, which prompted the delegate to propose this legislation.
Bulova says as personal information becomes more digitized—and compromised—consumers need these added protections. Uber and Lyft representatives are opposed to the legislation and say they do have safeguards in place that reduce or eliminate opportunities for a person's data to be compromised or abused.
