Public health requests
In 2020, Uber partnered with public health experts to build a dedicated response process for inquiries from public health authorities (PHAs) related to outbreaks or cases that could affect users on our platform. Uber will re-evaluate the relevance of reporting this information annually based on the number of requests received.
The Uber Guidelines for Public Health Authorities are consistent with our Law Enforcement Guidelines and our Privacy Notice.
2022 public health requests
The table below represents the number of data requests as well as the number of users affected by these requests, and how often we have responded with relevant information.
Number of data requests | Number of requests where some user data was disclosed | Number of users whose data was disclosed | Percentage of requests where some user data was disclosed¹ |
|---|---|---|---|
20 | 5 | 53 | 25.0% |
3 | 2 | 10 | 66.7% |
23 | 7 | 63 | 30.4% |
¹Percentages are calculated based on the number of requests where some user data was disclosed (that is, one or more user accounts) divided by the number of data requests. For requests where no data was disclosed, it was typically due to either duplicate request submissions or no data being available.
Frequently asked questions
- Do you notify users if you disclose their data to a public health authority?
Uber provides notice to users after the disclosure of their data to a public health authority.
- Why does Uber publish public health data requests?
Uber received an unprecedented number of requests from public health authorities in 2020, largely driven by the COVID-19 pandemic, and we felt it was important to be transparent about those requests, as well as the way we manage them. Since that time, Uber has continued to publish this data. However, we will continue to assess the number of public health requests we receive in future years to determine whether ongoing disclosure is relevant and meaningful to the public.
- What is Uber’s policy for placing holds on user accounts in connection with a public health issue?
Uber may put temporary holds on user accounts in connection with a public health issue as described in the "Placing User Accounts on Hold" section of our Guidelines for Public Health Authorities.
- What is required for a public health authority to submit a request?
Uber will make emergency disclosures of user information to public health authorities in cases where a public health emergency has been officially declared, or where a PHA certifies that the request is related to a public health emergency even where no state of emergency has been officially declared.
- How does Uber define the number of users whose data was disclosed?
The data within this column in the table above is counted on an individual request/disclosure basis. For example, the same Uber account may be specified across 2 separate requests and disclosures. In this instance, the user would be counted twice within the column.
- How does Uber satisfy itself that the reported data in the above table is complete and accurate?
We perform various audits of our data in advance of the release of the Government Transparency Report.
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