Uber and Lyft driver dropped for 'secretly recording passengers on Twitch'

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A former Uber and Lyft driver has been dropped from both platforms after it was revealed that he secretly livestreamed his passengers online.

Jason Gargac, a 32-year-old aspiring police officer from Missouri, would regularly broadcast his rides to thousands of subscribers on the livestreaming service Twitch, according to local reports. His riders – of which there were reportedly more than 700 in the last four months – rarely knew they were being broadcast.

“I feel violated. I’m embarrassed,” one passenger told the St Lous Post-Dispatch, who first reported the story. “We got in an Uber at 2am to be safe, and then I find out that because of that, everything I said in that car is online and people are watching me. It makes me sick.”

Passengers were reportedly recorded while passed out drunk, crying, or making insulting comments about their family members and coworkers.

Livestream viewers often made crude, sexual comments about the passengers online, sometimes rating their attractiveness on a scale of 1-10. Mr Gargac would also reportedly comment on passengers to his audience in between rides.

Mr Gargac’s Twitch channel was unavailable as of Monday. Attempts to reach him were unsuccessful.

Uber reportedly first responded to customers who complained about Mr Gargac by offering them a $5 credit and promising not to match them with the driver again. Both Uber and Lyft initially responded to reporters’ questions by noting that in Missouri, only one party needs to consent to the recording of a conversation.

Uber's website states that drivers may install cameras in their cars for safety purposes, but notes that they must follow local ordinances around consent. Lyft's website also directs drivers to review local laws on recording.

But after backlash brewed against Mr Gargac over the weekend, both companies announced they had parted ways with the driver.

“The safety and comfort of the Lyft community is our top priority, and we have deactivated this driver,” a Lyft spokesperson said in a statement to The Independent.

An Uber spokesperson said Mr Gargac’s behaviour was “not in line with our user terms and Community Guidelines,” which prohibit commenting on someone’s appearance or making otherwise disrespectful or sexual remarks. The company reviewed Mr Garcac’s videos and comments and decided to rescind his access to the app, the spokesperson said.

In interview with the Post-Dispatch, Mr Gargac provided conflicting reasons for operating the video camera. In one instance, he said the cameras – of which he installed approximately $3,000 worth in his vehicle – were primarily for his safety.

At other times, however, he reportedly said he had started driving with the intention of broadcasting his passengers.

Mr Gargac, who unsuccessfully requested the newspaper not use his full name, also said he purposefully did not tell passengers he was livestreaming their rides. He used to alert them of the video cameras, he said, but didn’t like the effect it had on the broadcast.

“I didn’t like it. It was fake. It felt produced,” he said.

He added: “I try to capture the natural interactions between myself and the passengers – what a Lyft and Uber ride actually is."