Ex-Lyft driver sues Uber over “Hell,” its alleged “spyware”

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A former Lyft driver sued Uber on Monday in a proposed class-action lawsuit over its recently revealed "Hell" software, which allowed Uber to spoof fake Lyft drivers through a flaw in Lyft's own design.

In turn, those faux accounts gave Uber confidential location information about the eight nearest Lyft drivers. Not only did this program provide secret information about Lyft, its largest rival, but it also allowed Uber to target its own drivers who also drive for Lyft. Uber could then present them with enticing offers to make sure that they would stay loyal to Uber.

The "spyware," according to the lawsuit, which reportedly ran from 2014 to 2016, "enabled Defendants to remotely and surreptitiously access, monitor, intercept, and/or transmit personal information as well as electronic communications and whereabouts." The ex-driver, Michael Gonzales, who never drove for Uber, claims violations of federal and California state privacy laws, and unfair business practices.

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