Uber expands audio recording safety feature to Pittsburgh
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Uber is expanding a safety feature that allows riders and drivers to record audio to Pittsburgh.
Users can set up the feature in the app's "safety toolkit." Once it's enabled, riders and drivers will have the option to record audio and when it's enabled, the other person will be notified that the trip may be recorded.
Uber said once a recording is completed, the audio file will be encrypted and stored on the user's device. No one will be able to listen to the recording unless a driver or rider submits a safety report to Uber and attaches the encrypted audio file, the company said. If that happens, the file will be decrypted and a trained safety agent will be able to review the audio, which Uber said will help it determine the best course of action.
The audio recording feature was launched in Latin America in 2019 and is currently live in more than a dozen countries and nearly 150 cities in the U.S. Uber said in many cases, audio files have helped determine the next steps after a safety incident.
Some riders and drivers will start to see the feature in their apps starting on Wednesday. It'll roll out to all riders and drivers in the coming days and weeks.