How Ride-Share Apps Collect and Store Data: A National Security Risk?

Concerns about ride-share companies have largely focused on physical risks to passengers. However, ride-share apps collect enormous amounts of data – a fact which has so far received minimal attention. This data includes ride details, address books and search history, with some apps also tracking the riders after they leave the car.

This raises concerns about how the data is stored and managed. The most obvious concern is that hackers can gain access to it. More serious, however, is the threat that authoritarian governments can demand access to the data to, for example, track specific citizens or groups in other countries. China poses a particular concern, as its new Personal Information Protection Law gives the government significant power over data collected by Chinese companies. This paper explores the emerging security threats from ride-share data collection and provides suggestions for further areas of enquiry.

Watch the launch event, chaired by Sally Walker, former Director Cyber at GCHQ