Uber used 'stealth technology' for tax evasion, 'kill switch' to block scrutiny: Investigation Report

A leaked cache of confidential files from cab aggregator company Uber shows how it used ethically dubious and potentially illegal tactics to expand its footprints globally, a joint media investigation report has revealed. 

The Uber Files, first obtained by The Guardian and shared with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) which led the investigation in partnership with The Indian Express, shows how the company exploited the loopholes in the system to evade regulatory authorities ands lobbied political leaders to relax labour and taxi laws. 

The investigation into 1,24,000 internal emails, text messages and documents from inside Uber, which cover 2013-2017, show how the company channeled money through Bermuda and other tax havens and also portrayed violence against its drivers as a way to gain public sympathy. 

The investigation found that the company used “stealth technology” to fend off government investigations. The company, for example, used a “kill switch” that cut access to Uber servers and block authorities authorities from grabbing evidence during raids in at least six countries, including India. 

The Uber Files quoted an instance of a police raid in Amsterdam where the company’s CEO Travis Kalanick personally issued an order directing the officials to “hit the kill switch ASAP”. Uber used a software named ‘Casper’ and later ‘Ripley’.

The reference to India comes in confidential emails dated February 10, 2015 — two months after the rape incident in New Delhi and the subsequent ban on its service.

The email threads relating to the incident show how the company made desperate efforts to prevent a “reputational” fallout in other global markets. Its damage control exercise included the introduction of ‘panic’ or ‘SOS’ button, which the investigation found, barely works in the Uber cabs running across the national capital region.