Uber and Lyft proposed recording audio inside vehicles for safety. Robert Siciliano explains Massachusetts two-party consent law and why drivers and passengers would need to agree to being recorded.
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Rideshares a thing. The company says it would help improve security for both passengers and drivers.
Boston 25 News reporter Robert Gouldson is live in Boston. And Robert, you've been looking into how that would work in this state because of the laws that are currently in place.
Vanessa and Mark, as we all know, rideshares are dropping off and picking up everywhere in the heart of Boston. Well, Uber wants to add a feature so when you get into their rideshare, everything is recorded. Danny Fahey has been manning his Uber for 3 years.
Pay the bills and in some ways you get out of the house. It's good, you know, social. I get to chat with people. And he's heard some war stories about what can happen on some rides.
Seems like more things happen late at night. Uber wants to allow audio recordings of rides to help better document any potential issues. Both Uber and Lyft have seen repeated crimes happening behind the wheel, ranging from sexual assaults to physical attacks. I think it would be a benefit in case there are any discrepancies that come up. We talked to one regular rider who is okay with the idea.
I don't see nothing wrong. Every time I take, everything's okay.
If Uber wants to do this in Massachusetts, because this is a two-party state, if there's any sort of recording going on inside the car, you have to give consent.
When somebody's being audio recorded, if that recording is secretive, meaning it's a hidden recording, then that is illegal.
Robert Siciliano is a security analyst with ETFMG.com. He says passengers would only have to read the sign that there was a recording and then get into the vehicle to show consent.
If the recipient of the ride does not want to be recorded, they simply exit the vehicle.
And Uber also wants to make it a feature that so before you hail your ride, you can actually opt into this program. And then right now there is no time fly— timeline for when this would all go into place. We are live at Copley Square, Rob Goldstein, Boston 25 News.
