Uber Hires First Privacy and Data Protection Leaders

Taxi app Uber has hired Intel's former privacy and security legal practice leader Ruby Zefo as its first Chief Privacy Officer (CPO), and former Tom Tom VP Privacy & Security Simon Hania as Data Protection Officer (DPO).

As well as its ridesharing and taxi services, Uber is involved in several initiatives including a food delivery service (UberEATS) and Uber Health, to arrange rides for patients to and from their medical appointments. It also offers Uber Movement, which provides anonymized data from more than two billion trips, to help urban planning around the world. In 2014, the firm was accused of having a 'troubling disregard for customer privacy', and concerns were raised about internal misuse of the company's data - in particular the ability of Uber staff to track the movements of its customers, journalists and politicians. Last year, it was revealed that hackers had stolen data on about 600,000 drivers, and the phone numbers for 57 million customers.

From August 6th, Zefo will fill a 'critical global role' in San Francisco, responsible for the development and implementation of privacy standards, procedures and processes in every market where the firm operates. Hania, whose new function is required by the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) to independently oversee Uber's compliance with EU data protection laws, will join in the Fall; and be based in Amsterdam. Both will report to Uber's General Counsel Tony West.

Zefo has spent the previous fifteen years at Intel, where she initially led the team responsible for all trademark enforcement, and for the past four years, served as VP, Associate General Counsel of the Law & Policy Group, while leading Intel's Artificial Intelligence Products group. Earlier, she spent seven years at Sun Microsystems, latterly as Assistant General Counsel, Marketing & Brands. In addition, she serves on the Board of Directors for the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP). Hania has worked for Tom Tom for nearly eight years, most recently as VP Privacy & Security / Corporate Privacy Officer - driving privacy, data protection and information security across the group.

Web site: www.uber.com .