19.
A.However,Uber deny this was the intention. B.Uber was criticized of deliberately ordering rides of rival companies. C.Silicon Valley's culture seems hostile to humane and democratic values. D.Uber wanted to know as much as possible about the people who use its service,and those who don't. E.Uber is a transportation network company headquartered in San Francisco,operating in 570 cities worldwide. F.In fact,it makes people wonder what would happen to someone carrying a knife who promised never to stab a policeman with it. |
Time to Tame Silicon ValleyThe company Uber brings into very sharp focus the question of whether corporations can be said to have a moral character.If any human being were to behave with the single-minded and greed of the company,we would consider them anti-social.(67)D Therefore,it has an arrangement with Unroll.me,a company which offered a free service for unsubscribing from junk mail,to buy the contacts Unroll.me customers had had with rival taxi companies.Beyond that,it keeps track of the phones that have been used to book its services even after the original owner has sold them,but attempts this with Apple's phones is forbidden by the company.
Uber has also adjusted its software so that regulatory agencies that the company regarded as hostile would,when they tried to hire a driver,be given false reports about the location of its cars.Uber management booked and then cancelled rides with a rival company which took their vehicles out of circulation. (68)A The punishment for this behavior was so small that it was not worth worrying about.
Uber promised not to use this software against law enforcement. (69)F Travis Kalanick of Uber got a personal criticism from Tim Cook,who runs Apple,but the company did not prohibit the use of the app.Too much money was invested in that.
The"sharing economy"encourages the insecure and exploited to exploit others equally insecure to the profit of a tiny group of billionaires. (70)C The outgoing CEO of Yahoo,Marissa Mayer,who is widely judged to have been a failure,is likely to get a﹩186m payout.This may not be a cause for panic.Yet there's an urgent political task to tame these companies,to ensure they are punished when they break the law,that they pay their taxes fairly and that they behave responsibly.