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North Carolina Could Be The Newest Legal Battleground For Uber and Lyft
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina has become an attractive market for smartphone-based car services such as Uber and Lyft, which are drawn to the state’s mid-sized cities that have college students and young professionals but lack extensive mass transit. It’s also one of many states where little regulation exists outside of traditional cab and limo services.
Uber currently offers rides in 10 cities in North Carolina, ranging from Wilmington and Asheville to the larger Raleigh and Charlotte. The company says that’s more than any other state but California. Six of those cities have populations greater than 200,000, and all are home to universities. The companies’ expansion has legislators in North Carolina and elsewhere scrambling to study their business models ahead of sessions in 2015 when they could address insurance, car inspections or criminal background checks. Throw in concerns from traditional taxi companies and insurance lobbyists, and Uber and Lyft’s public policy staffs should stay busy.
At a meeting this week of North Carolina’s Revenue Laws Study Committee, co-chairwoman Rep. Julia C. Howard said she anticipated someone would introduce a bill, but she wasn’t aware of a specific proposal yet.
“We’re getting into some tall weeds here,” Howard said, referring to the nuances involved after a colleague asked about pricing differences between Uber, Lyft and taxis.
Lyft and Uber use a smartphone app to link customers with drivers selling rides in typically noncommercial cars or SUVs, allowing people with little or no professional driving experience to make money. Uber also works with licensed limo drivers in some markets. Both services make drivers undergo criminal and traffic background checks, and drivers are rated by customers. Uber and Lyft say they also provide commercial auto insurance in North Carolina that kicks in when rides are ordered.
At least 20 legislatures are likely to take up legislation on such services in 2015 after several passed laws this year, said transportation analyst Douglas Shinkle of the National Conference of State Legislatures.
“This is definitely the most fast-moving, from kind of zero to 60, policy issue … that I’ve worked on since I’ve worked at NCSL,” said Shinkle, who’s been with the organization since 2005.
At the North Carolina meeting, Uber and Lyft touted their insurance coverage and background checks — two key areas considered by legislatures in 2014. While several of those bills failed, Colorado passed a law to regulate the companies, and California lawmakers set insurance standards.
“We’re seeing all over the country that cities and states are taking interest in companies like Uber because what we’re seeing is that consumers are flocking to these new technologies,” Rachel Holt, Uber’s Regional General Manager for the East Coast, told North Carolina lawmakers. “We’re very supportive of reasonable, commonsense regulations.”
However, Uber and Lyft have faced several lawsuits in the past year across the U.S., claiming the companies operate in violation of state and local laws governing taxis.
Michael Solomon, president of the Taxi Taxi cab service in the Raleigh area, said Uber and Lyft drivers should obtain commercial license plates and have more extensive commercial insurance, just as traditional cab services are required to do.
“Any person who collects a passenger for a fee, no matter how it’s collected, should be held to the same standard,” he said.
The Property Casualty Insurers Association of America told North Carolina lawmakers that Uber and Lyft should offer more coverage for drivers any time they are logged into the app and available to drive. While the companies offer commercial coverage when drivers are on their way to pick up a customer or have them in the vehicle, PCI attorney Oyango Snell said there’s a significant gap during the period when drivers are waiting to line up a fare.
During that period, Uber and Lyft drivers in the state rely on a combination of their personal policies and contingent liability coverage provided by the companies.
A North Carolina-based scholar on entrepreneurship said regulation for Uber and Lyft must strike a balance “between the ‘Wild West’ and the very strict rules that apply to old economy players.”
“I don’t think the answer lies in applying the same framework to this new player,” said Arvind Malhotra, a professor at the Kenan-Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina. “New rules and regulations have to be crafted to make it a level playing field.”
The on-demand, GPS-based car services aren’t just appealing to riders — the flexibility is also drawing drivers who never worked in the industry. Jeremy Collins, 31, began driving his 2011 Honda Accord for Uber in July, a few weeks after it launched in Durham. He planned to drive part-time to earn extra money while his wife completes a graduate nursing program at Duke, but he ended up quitting his job as a waiter. He says he never drives more than 35 hours a week, but can make $1,300 in that time.
He lives in an apartment building near campus that’s home to a lot of graduate students, so he can sit on his balcony with a coffee and wait for the app to match him with riders. He typically ferries students and others in the Duke community, and he’s worked out a rhythm where he says he rarely works a late night.
“I’m able to keep us afloat with our Uber pay,” he said. “I don’t have a boss, and I work when I want. … It’s worked out really well for us.”
New Malware Used For Surveillance In 10 Countries, Symantec Says
An unidentified nation may have developed a “highly complex” surveillance tool that targeted companies and other victims in at least 10 countries including Russia and Mexico, Symantec Corp. researchers said.
New computer spying bug discovered
Computer security firm Symantec discovers what it says is one of the most sophisticated pieces of malicious software ever seen.
11 Things You Didn't Know About 'iCarly'
In 5 … 4 … 3 … 2 …
With his hit shows “Drake & Josh” and “Zoey 101″ coming to an end, Dan Schneider was focused on his next project. The new series starred “Drake & Josh” alum Miranda Cosgrove as a girl making her own web series with her best friends, played by Jennette McCurdy and Nathan Kress. After debuting in early September 2007, “iCarly” opened to strong ratings and never looked back, eventually overtaking “SpongeBob” as the network’s most-watched show.
Schneider recalled the experience on his blog:
I never dreamed the audience would embrace “iCarly” the way it has … within less than a year, we saw “iCarly” become more than just a successful show. Thanks to the fans, “iCarly” became part of American pop culture.
Emma Stone on “iCarly.”
“iCarly” ran on Nickelodeon for seven seasons. The series received critical acclaim and even drew huge celebrity guest stars like Emma Stone, Jack Black and Jimmy Fallon on its way to becoming one of the Nickelodeon’s most successful shows of all time. Fan’s loved the series’ interactivity, but now, even two years after series finale “iGoodbye” aired Nov. 23, 2012, there is still a lot viewers don’t know.
She’s Carly. She’s Sam. And these are 11 things you didn’t know about “iCarly”:
Image: Giphy
1. Jennette McCurdy hated a lot of the food she had to eat.
On the show, Sam eats pretty much everything she can get her hands on, but McCurdy told RadioFree.com that she definitely differs with her character there:
There are times when I have had to eat food that I hate, like for example the pie. Or on the first episode, I had to eat so much ham I threw up, and then had to go eat more. That was horrible! I had to eat Cheez Whiz … Didn’t like that.
The actress said the props department worked hard to make the food great, but she revealed to Rosie O’Donnell in a 2012 interview that she hasn’t had ham since the first episode.
2. You can actually call Sam’s phone number.
Image: Giphy
According to iCarly Facts Tumblr, the episode “iLost My Mind” gives out an actual working number for Sam Puckett.
Calling the number “503-664-0452″ connects you to a voicemail message from Sam basically saying to hang up because she’ll never check her messages.
3. No one knows what the goat did to Carly.
One of the greatest mysteries from “iCarly” comes in the episode “iGot A Hot Room.” In one particular scene, Carly mentions an infamous incident with a goat at a petting zoo.
Schneider wrote in his blog that he gets asked a lot about what the goat actually did to Carly, sometimes even by Cosgrove herself, but that it will probably always remain a mystery:
When we wrote that script, the writers and I had fun thinking about things the goat might have done … but we all had different ideas. And, as you know, it was never stated in the episode. So, this one is up to your own imagination. There is no correct answer. It’s anyone’s guess.
4. Carly was very close to being named Sam or Josie.
Image: YouTube
When answering fan questions about how he decided on a name for the series, Schneider said it came from talking with Steve Molaro, who’s now executive producer for “The Big Bang Theory.” The show creator said the main character’s name in his original script was Sam. That would have been Carly’s name, except the URL for iSam was already registered. Schneider said he then bought the URL for iJosie.com, but he later decided on iCarly.
Had Schneider been able to buy iSam.com, Carly and Sam would likely have been Sam and Kira, respectively, which were the characters in the original script.
5. “iCarly” gets away with a lot of hidden adult jokes.
Whether it’s Disney movies or Nick, a lot of kids programming has been shown to have hidden adult humor in it, and “iCarly” isn’t any different. Smosh outlines a lot seemingly innocent jokes that could be taken to have a double meaning. Others more blatant examples are the “Fifty Shades of Grey” reference above and Freddie’s apartment number, which you can see in this scene from “Sam & Cat” bares a striking resemblance to certain texting emoticon:
6. There’s even more “Drake & Josh” crossover than you think.
“Drake & Josh” references are scattered throughout “iCarly.” Examples include Carly and Spencer (Jeremy Trainer) both watching themselves on “Drake & Josh,” visual references like pictures and even this gem from Drake Bell, which appeared on the episode “iBloop”:
Before “iCarly” debuted, there were also references to the show in “Drake & Josh.” Most notably, a movie marquee in “Drake & Josh: Really Big Shrimp” had a message from Schneider thanking Molaro and also saying, “Now She’s Carly.”
7. The cast’s reactions to fan videos were real.
Image: Giphy
Fans could actually go on iCarly.com to send in videos, suggestions and interact with the show. The “iCarly” writers then incorporated fan feedback into the programming, which made the show a very real experience.
In an interview with Jimmy Kimmel, Cosgrove talked about the crazy videos fans would send in and said the cast’s reactions to these videos on the show were real. She recalled one fan video that involved someone squirting milk out of their eyes that made the cast scream “at the top of their lungs.”
Cosgrove also told Kimmel that in her spare time she makes funny videos with her friends, which basically means she’s Carly Shay in real life, too.
8. You can visit the Shay’s apartment building, but it’s not where you think.
Though the Shay’s supposedly live in Bushwell Plaza in Seattle, the actual building seen on the show is nowhere near there.
A variety of sources report exterior shots of the Shay’s apartment building are actually from the Eastern Columbia Building in Los Angeles. Images of the building are said to be digitally altered for the show.
9. “iCarly” had a secret “Harry Potter” connection.
Image: Giphy
To win a bet against Freddie in “iFence,” Sam reads a book called “The Penny Treasure.” Previously, she hasn’t been interested in reading, but Sam learns to enjoy it and describes the experience as “TV in your head.”
In real life, “The Penny Treasure” doesn’t actually exist. Apparently the book used in the episode was a copy of “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” with a fake cover put on it.
10. You can actually visit websites from the show … sort of.
Since the show is all about a girl and her friends making a web series, a variety of other made up websites are also mentioned. These include iGibby.com, Nevilocity.com, SamPuckett.com and many others.
You can actually visit these sites, but Carly’s nemesis Neville will probably “rue the day” when he finds out that these sites are all set up to redirect to iCarly.com.
11. “iCarly” creator Dan Schneider always knew how the show would end.
Image: Tumblr
Schneider wrote on his “iGoodbye” blog entry that he knew how he wanted the series to end from the very first season, and that’s exactly how it turned out:
I had this vision of the front door opening, Carly hearing her dad’s voice, turning, breaking into a huge smile, yelling “Dad!” and running into his arms. I saw that scene in my head back in 2008. So, it was kind of surreal when we filmed that very scene, in 2012.
And … we’re out.
New web data powers plan for police
A law forcing communications firms to keep details that could help identify criminals using the internet is being planned by the home secretary.
Awful Behavior At Tech Companies Probably Does Not Hurt Their Bottom Lines
NEW YORK (AP) — Silicon Valley seems to have more than its share of companies behaving badly. Among up-and-comers in the tech world, privacy abuses and executive gaffes have become viral sensations. But is all that bad behavior actually bad for business?
Last week, Uber sparked controversy after a top executive suggested spending $1 million to dig up dirt on a journalist critical of the driver-on-demand company challenging the taxi establishment in cities. It’s only the latest time Uber has been called out, either for actions by its drivers or its corporate culture. The company also is investigating one of its New York employees for tracking another journalist’s ride, which has raised fears that Uber is misusing customers’ private location information. So far Uber’s investors, which include Google Ventures and prominent venture capital firms that poured $1.2 billion into the company at its latest funding round, have remained quiet. So is Uber’s much-criticized corporate behavior just part of the package, a reason even, for its meteoric rise and ability to go after smaller rivals and the taxi establishment? Or is it a liability for the company, its Ayn Rand-loving libertarian CEO and its backers?
“I think it’s going to alienate some potential customers but I doubt, given what’s happened to date, that it’s going to make a big difference,” said Robert Hurley, director of the Consortium of Trustworthy Organizations at Fordham University in New York.
So far, the controversies haven’t put the brakes on Uber’s skyrocketing valuation ($17 billion at last count, and reportedly heading to nearly double that), or its popularity among people who can use the app to hitch rides. There are calls to boycott the company on Twitter, and many have vowed to go to its smaller rival Lyft. But on Friday Uber was ranked 35th among the most popular free apps on iTunes — up from 37th on Monday.
“If it’s a brand (people) like — and Uber is a brand (people) like — they have a few get out of jail cards,” said Allen Adamson, managing director of the branding firm Landor Associates.
Uber did not respond to requests for comment.
Not that Uber is an anomaly in the industry. Some tech companies have had executives with domestic violence charges or who have gone on tactless Facebook and Twitter rants. Earlier this year, the hot dating app Tinder settled a sexual harassment and discrimination lawsuit filed by a co-founder. It claimed that Tinder’s founders engaged in “atrocious sexual harassment and sex discrimination” against a former vice president at the company, calling her names and threatening to strip away her co-founder title. The suit hasn’t crimped Tinder’s style: the product reportedly makes over 14 million matches a day.
Public relations problems aren’t limited to startups. Last month, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella told women they shouldn’t ask for a raise and just trust “good karma” instead. The punchline? He made the statement, for which he later apologized, at a conference celebrating women in computing.
“You have these CEOs that don’t have much filter and get in trouble,” said John Challenger, CEO of the outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas. But unlike in the old days, it’s hard for things to get buried in the age of blogs, Twitter and Reddit. “There is much less ability to wipe the slate clean,” he notes.
Some established tech companies have rolled out new features without disclosing privacy implications, all while professing respect for customers’ personal data and privacy. Take Google, for example. The company, which was founded with the motto “don’t be evil,” has faced scrutiny from European regulators for secretly scooping up users’ personal data transmitted over unencrypted Wi-Fi networks in cities around the world for at least two years. In the U.S., Google paid $500 million to settle a U.S. Justice Department investigation that alleged the company’s top executives allowed ads for illegal pharmaceutical drugs to be distributed through its marketing network. Yet it is far and away the leader in online search and owns other widely used services such as Android and Chrome.
“Until a company does something that personally impacts the consumer, this kind of bad behavior will only influence the decisions of customers for whom these are highly sensitive issues,” said Maclyn Clouse, University of Denver’s Daniels College of Business.
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AP Technology Writer Michael Liedtke contributed to this story from San Francisco.
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