• by Ray Schultz , July 10, 2022

The Washington Post has announced its participation in The Uber Files, an investigation led by The Guardian and the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists.

The group is probing Uber’s alleged user of stealth technology to thwart regulators and law enforcement while securing footholds in cities throughout the world, the Post said on Sunday. 

“This joint investigation offers the most detailed look at how Uber was able to access a sphere of political influence, shaping legislation that allowed it to evade accountability for exploitative practices in the countries it expanded to,” stated Craig Timberg, senior editor for collaborative investigations at the Post. 

Timberg added, “The Post is proud to be part of this project, helping to shine a light on how a company that's prevalent in the lives of many around the world developed unchecked powers to its benefit and financial gain.”

The investigation is built on more than 124,000 emails, iMessages and WhatsApp exchanges between Uber’s executives, along with memos, presentations, briefing papers and invoices. 

The Guardian obtained these documents and shared them with the ICIJ and dozens of other news organizations. Participating in the effort were more than 180 journalists from 29 countries, including more than 50 from the Post.

In addition, The Guardian wrote that more than “180 journalists at 40 media outlets including Le Monde, Washington Post and the BBC will in the coming days publish a series of investigative reports about the tech giant.” 

On Sunday, the Post listed some of the takeaways as follows: 

“Uber’s then-chief executive Travis Kalanick texts fellow executives 'violence guarantee success' as clashes with taxi drivers break out in Paris, a key market for the company. The company’s computers in Amsterdam abruptly go dark during a police raid after executives order the activation of a remote ‘kill switch.’ Emmanuel Macron, as France’s economy minister, forges an alliance with Kalanick amid political unrest over Uber’s expansion there.”

The Guardian adds, “In a statement responding to the leak, Uber admitted to 'mistakes and missteps,' but said it had been transformed since 2017 under the leadership of its current chief executive, Dara Khosrowshahi.

“We have not and will not make excuses for past behaviour that is clearly not in line with our present values,” it said. “Instead, we ask the public to judge us by what we’ve done over the last five years and what we will do in the years to come.”