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This article was published on February 10, 2015

Uber left its lost and found items log exposed online


Uber left its lost and found items log exposed online

People are forever leaving things in cabs and when that happens in an Uber, most drivers report it. But it seems the company itself was careless and left a lost and found database accessible to the public, according to Motherboard.

The link now leads to a 404 Page Not Found error message, but was available long enough for Motherboard to ascertain that it was likely linked to Uber’s Los Angeles operation. The unsecured database listed 155 lost items, including bags, books, clothing, credit cards, phones and keys.

Uber

That information isn’t particularly damning in itself, but the records also showed customer and driver names, phone numbers, internal ID numbers and ride information.

Uber said in a blog post last November that “The trip history of our riders is important information and we understand that we must treat it carefully and with respect, protecting it from unauthorized access.” It seems it needs to try harder.

We’ve contacted Uber for comment and will update this post when we hear back.

Update: A company spokesperson said, “Uber’s Lost Items feature has helped thousands of riders reconnect with belongings left behind after a trip. It appears that this log of lost items was accidentally made public, and we’re sorry for this mistake. We are looking into exactly how that happened so that it does not happen again.”

➤ Uber Apparently Left Part of Its Lost and Found Database Public [Motherboard]

Image credit: Motherboard

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