Editor’s Note: See, Is Uber’s rider database a sitting duck for hackers?
From: Christian Science Monitor
Uber confirmed it used a secret tool to sidestep or dupe city regulators. But some argue the program’s existence is a response to regulatory overreach.
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Some observers labeled news of the Greyball program as further evidence of Uber’s problems both internally and with regulators. But others argue the secret tool does the opposite. They say that while Uber tried to sneak around regulations, Greyball also manifests the problems with regulations imposed on Uber, stymieing opportunities for drivers and economic growth for cities.
“It’s a neat little example of how the regulation of the economy limits, puts a brake upon, economic growth,” writes Tim Worstall, a fellow at the Adam Smith Institute, a neoliberal think tank based in London, in a contribution to Forbes. “In order to operate Uber dodged public officials and regulations, entirely true. But given that Uber is also an increase in economic wealth that’s all the proof we need that regulation limits, slows down, economic growth.”
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