[Resolved]  Uber India — Uber's policy of treating customers as terrorists

Address:	Mumbai City, Maharashtra, 400061
Website:	www.uber.com/en-IN

This is not a complaint. Rather, it's a question:

I was always wary of downloading too many unnecessary apps on my phone because of privacy concerns. Multinational corporations have a bad habit of getting their systems hacked and then end up giving their customers' details to cyber-crooks. And every company says their servers are secure until some 13 year old computer hacker breaks into their servers and plays the game of 'doctor doctor' with their customer database.

My creator has given me a hand which i can raise to hail a cab on the street. Impossible as it may sound, i was willing to survive without a cab-hailing app. But the pressure from the younger generation in my house was too much. Finally, i relented, installed the uber app and booked a ride which was successful. There were no problems.

2 days later, i tried to book another ride. After several attempts, the app told me that my account has been disabled and that i must contact uber support via email.

When i emailed uber support asking them to enable my account, i was told that i must provide a government issued id proof in order to continue with uber.

An observation:
Google handles my sensitive emails, yet they dont ask for my govt. Id.
I travel in b. E. S. T. Busses & local trains. They face terrorist threats everyday, yet they don't ask me for a govt. Id.
The mumbai, delhi and kolkata metro transport lacs of passengers everyday. Yet they don't ask me for a govt. Id.

Now my question is this:
Is uber trying to tell me that it is doing more important work than these institutions are doing??

If it's a question of safety:
If i perform an illegal activity or a crime during my ride, then uber has my mobile number. I can easily be tracked by turning over my mobile number to the police or any other relevant government authority. The poor "kaali/peeli" driver doesn't even get my mobile number and he fearlessly charges into the unknown every morning by picking up random customers on the street.

Generally, i request the watchman in my building to hail a cab for me. Usually he fetches a cab for me within minutes. No delays, no overcharging. Basically, uber wants the job of my watchman.

How strange would it be if your watchman asked you for your government id before fetching a cab for you? What if, even after taking your blood sample and sequencing your dna, he couldn't guarantee the arrival of the cab in time?

I'm not insulting the watchmen of our country. Rather, i'm saying that the ramprasad yadav standing at my gate can do a better job than an mnc with lesser hassle.

My fellow indians, could it be that we have become so fascinated by technology that we bend over and submit ourselves whenever a phoren company demands our critical data?

My friends, understand that your identity is very precious. You work all your life to build an image of respect and trust in society. Your government issued id proofs are like your password when you wish to connect with the real world.

Mncs themselves valuate their good name at billions of dollars. And they spend millions of dollars in protecting their name. So why are we expected to kneel down, lower our heads and distribute our sensitive information to some uber or boober, like a priest distributes prasad outside a temple?

My question is this:
Are we just supposed to give up our valuable ids to a "taxi bulane wala"? Is it worth it?

Maybe... Just maybe, the next time we wish to be on time for our international flight, we could stop getting terrorized about whether the uber god will send his angel to deliver us?

Maybe... Just maybe, we could go downstairs and raise one hand in prayer...

Maybe... Just maybe, a taxi might miraculously appear!

*attaching a copy of my first and last (Successful) ride with uber