Uber faces FTC complaint over plan to track customers’ locations and contacts

Taxi app wants access to customers' data even when they're not using the app so it can 'launch new promotional features,' but a group says it's a threat to privacy

Regulators are being urged to investigate Uber over the taxi app company's controversial plan to track its customers' locations - even when they're not using the service - and harvest details of their contacts.

Campaigners at the Electronic Privacy Information Center (Epic) on Monday filed a complaint with the The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) claiming that forthcoming changes to Uber's privacy policy "threaten the privacy rights and personal safety of American consumers", "pose a direct risk of consumer harm" and "constitute an unfair and deceptive trade practice".