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Drivers approach court demanding Uber to disclose algorithm

Drivers approach court demanding Uber to disclose algorithm

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A group of Uber drivers in UK has filed a legal suit demanding company to reveal how it uses its algorithm to manage their work.

The UK-based App Drivers and Couriers Union filed the case on Monday in the district court in Amsterdam, where the international headquarters of the cab-booking app is located.

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The union demanded transparency from Uber to check whether the company was discriminating or unequally treating between drivers.

Anton Ekker, the Amsterdam-based privacy lawyer who is heading the case says it's "about the distribution of power".

"It’s about Uber exerting control through data and automated decision-making and how it is blocking access to that," he said, reported Guardian.

"The app decides millions of times a day who is going to get what ride: who gets the nice rides; who gets the short rides. But this is not just about Uber. The problem is everywhere. Algorithms and data give a lot of control but the people who are subject to it are often no longer aware of it."

The complaint says Uber tags drivers' profiles with words such "inappropriate behaviours", "police tag", "professionalism" and the results of these attributes on which the drivers are judged are not provided to them.

The union argues they have a right to access general data protection regulations (GDPR) which Uber has failed to provide them. They want to know the data of how the drivers' profiling is done, which includes behaviour, location or movements, among others.