French philanderer sues Uber for $48M over app bug that led to divorce
A French man is suing Uber Technologies Inc. for about $48 million over a fault in its mobile app that allowed his wife to find out he was cheating on him, ultimately leading to a divorce.
The unnamed man, identified only as hailing from Côte d’Azur in the south of France, alleges that a problem with Uber’s app meant that his wife received notifications on her phone whenever he took an Uber ride and that she was able to see his pick up points, destinations and times.
According to local reports, the man claims that the issue began when he used his wife’s mobile to log in to Uber but the app kept receiving notifications intended for him after he had logged out. The problem is apparently that the app keeps the information of any users who have logged into it even after they have logged out, meaning that it can continue to provide data on the phone. The technical fault is believed to occur only on iPhone iOS versions of the app updated after Dec. 15.
Uber’s spokesperson declined to speak to French newspaper Le Figaro on the matter, saying only that “Uber doesn’t publicly comment on individual cases, and especially those which concern things such as a divorce procedure.”
App use resulting in divorce isn’t an entirely new trend. A report in 2011 found that Facebook is cited in one of every five divorces in the United States, although this might be the first case a philanderer has blamed a ride-hailing startup for the demise of his marriage. An initial hearing for the case is expected next month.
Image: Pexels/Public Domain CC0
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