Uber rolls out ads based on rider locations
Yahoo Finance's Dan Howley discusses Uber launching ads across its app and the data privacy concerns for consumers.
Video Transcript
AKIKO FUJITA: Well, Uber is now serving up rides, foods, and now ads. The ridesharing company unveiling advertising options that will target riders at every point during their use of the app. That could raise eyebrows and uncomfortable questions about location and privacy. Let's bring in Dan Howley, who's on top of the story. Dan, we've sort of become accustomed to having every part of our lives tracked, whether it's an Amazon purchase or anything else. How is this different in terms of approach?
DAN HOWLEY: Yeah, I think you touched on it right away, Akiko, is the idea that this is going to be tracking where you are and where you're going. And so the idea is that if you have a destination in mind, an airport, a specific type of store, Uber would be able to serve up ads related to those destinations.
Now, obviously, there's issues there that consumers and users may be uncomfortable with. Obviously, with the fall of Roe v. Wade, there's questions about whether or not issues of reproductive rights or reproductive locations would come into question. If you're going to a Planned Parenthood, for instance, if Uber would have that data, and then if it would sell that data. Parts of this would appear in the app. You could see it from the start of the ride when you order to your actual ride and then towards the end.
And I think one of the things to take into account is Uber says that they won't be selling individual data, but it'll be aggregate. But as with any kind of online data, once your information is out there, it can then be put together via other data that data brokers use to create kind of a profile about you in particular.
And this is something that other companies have warned about in the past, particularly Apple. So it'll be interesting to see how Uber rolls this out, and then what kind of reaction they get from actual Uber riders. I know I already see some ads, but they're not based on my location or destination.
AKIKO FUJITA: Just more data being collected on our lives. Dan Howley, thanks so much for that.
