Govt Calls Uber Files ‘Disturbing’, Promises New Laws To Curb Violations By Big Tech Companies

Taking a dig at Uber, Minister of State for Electronics and IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Wednesday (June 13) said that the government was ‘determined’ to bring in new rules that would reduce opportunities for companies to violate Indian laws.

He added that the revelations as part of ‘Uber Files’ had confirmed the suspicions of the Indian government that big tech companies were using technology to game the system.

Calling the disclosures ‘disturbing’, he said that the big tech platforms had used technology and innovations to evade scrutiny and bypass laws.

“It has been fairly obvious to most people that big tech platforms have been using technology to game the system and consumers both, and have evaded scrutiny by constantly covering themselves with innovations”, Indian Express quoted Chandrasekhar as saying.

He also said that the Union government will continue to foster an ecosystem of innovation, adding that it will also put laws in place to ensure that the internet is safe for Indian consumers.

“…we have 80 crore Indians using the internet and in another two-and-a-half years, 120 crore Indians will be using the internet and technology platforms. Therefore, it is important that we ensure that the internet is safe and trusted and accountable for all these consumers,” Chandrasekhar said.

Earlier on July 11, an investigation into the trove of data related to Uber’s operations globally revealed that the ride hailing company courted influential people to steer into new countries and even derailed investigations in many instances. The company is especially in dock for deploying its ‘Kill Switch’ that reportedly shutdown systems to stonewall authorities.

The Indian government has been tightening the noose around the big tech companies. Earlier this month, Chandrasekhar and Minister for Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw told all internet intermediaries and social media platforms to comply with the law of the land.

Prior to that, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Shaktikanta Das said that big tech companies in the fintech space posed a threat to the country’s financial stability. 

India continues to be a big market for Uber. According to a report, the online taxi services market in the country was valued at INR 30.72 Bn in FY20 and is projected to soar to INR 55.15 Bn by FY25, growing at a compounded annual growth rate of 12.93%.