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Uber sued by more than 500 women over sexual assault and kidnapping claims
Uber is facing a lawsuit filed by more than 500 women who allege they were assaulted by drivers.
Twenty more women sue Lyft over 'inadequate' response to sexual assaults
More women have accused Lyft of failing to protect them against sexual assault. A group of twenty women has sued Lyft over claims they were sexually assaulted or raped when the ridesharing company let "known sexual predators" offer service. The firm's response to these problems over the past four years has been "appallingly inadequate," according to the lawsuit.
Emerging from the shadow of GamerGate
On August 26th, game developer Nathalie Lawhead published a blog post accusing legendary Skyrim composer Jeremy Soule of rape. It's a detailed account of the events leading up to and after the alleged assault, which Lawhead says took place in 2008, when she was in her mid-20s and trying to break into the video-game industry. Soule was already a major name in games, and according to Lawhead, he used his influence and the veneer of mentorship to manipulate, silence and sexually assault her. By the 28th, another woman, vocalist Aeralie Brighton, had come forward with her own story about Soule. She said Soule sent her a video of him masturbating, and then cut her out of projects when she expressed that she wanted to keep their relationship professional. Soule denies the accusations from both women.
UK to question Tinder, Grindr over age checks in dating apps
Tinder and Grindr are about to face close scrutiny over their age policies. The UK's Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, Jeremy Wright, plans to ask the dating app giants about their age verification and safety systems after a Sunday Times report revealed dozens of incidents of sexual assault and exploitation against children who managed to sign up for the app, including over 30 instances of rape. He wanted to know what tools Tinder and Grindr had in place to "keep children safe from harm," and vowed "further action" if the dating services didn't provide adequate answers.
CBS chief Les Moonves to step down amid new sexual assault claims (updated)
After weeks of swirling sexual misconduct allegations, CBS chief Les Moonves appears to be on the way out. CNN's executive sources have claimed that Moonves is about to step down now that an exit deal is effectively complete. CBS could announce the departure by the morning of September 10th, according to the insiders. Just how he'll leave isn't clear, but he may not have a gentle departure due to a follow-up exposé from The New Yorker detailing more claims of sexual assault and harassment.
Didi halts carpooling across China after passenger's murder
Didi Chuxing has suspended its Hitch carpooling service across all of China in the wake of a driver raping and killing a passenger on August 24th. The ridesharing company wanted time to address the "many deficiencies" with its customer service approach that appear to have cost the victim her life, including the "cumbersome and rigid" process of sharing information with police. A customer had complained to Didi about the the driver's sexually threatening behavior a day before, but the company didn't follow through with an investigation that might have banned the driver in time to prevent the tragedy.
Didi passenger murdered following safety policy failure
Didi Chuxing's safety issues still aren't over. Police have confirmed that a driver for the service raped and killed a woman passenger in Wenzhou, China on August 24th. The ridesharing company said it was "deeply sorry" for the incident in a statement, but acknowledged that its safety protections fell short. From an initial glance, it appeared that the tragedy was avoidable.
Apple Health app data used as evidence in rape investigation
Law enforcement might have difficulty accessing iPhones, but it can obtain a wealth of information when it does get in. German investigators have used data from iOS' built-in Health app as evidence in the investigation of a rape and murder case. Police cracked the suspect's phone with the help of an unnamed Munich company and discovered Health data that corresponded with his reported activity the day of the crimes, which included dragging the victim down a river embankment and climbing back up. The suspect's Health app appeared to have registered this last action as two instances of stair climbing, and an officer obtained similar results when replicating the accused's movements.
Netflix fires exec who said Masterson accusers weren't believable
Last week, HuffPost reported that one of the women accusing actor Danny Masterson of rape was told by a Netflix executive that higher-ups at the company didn't believe the women making accusations against him. Now, that exec has been fired.
Uber to settle second lawsuit from India rape victim
Uber's determination to address its past scandals remains in effect. The ridesharing firm has agreed to settle the second lawsuit from the Indian rape victim who accused the company of improperly obtaining her medical records. While the company isn't commenting on the settlement or its terms, a court filing revealed that the two sides will formally reach a deal in June. The suit represented a particularly dark chapter for Uber, as it underscored the outfit's Kalanick-era tendency to fight legal challenges that few other companies would resist.
Amazon’s ‘Transparent’ hasn’t cut ties with Jeffrey Tambor yet
Last month, following accusations of sexual assault, Transparent actor Jeffrey Tambor released a statement that made it seem like he would be leaving the show. "Given the politicized atmosphere that seems to have afflicted our set, I don't see how I can return to Transparent," Tambor said. And while he has stated that he regrets if anything he did in the past was misinterpreted as aggressive, he has denied any purposeful wrongdoing. "The idea that I would deliberately harass anyone is simply and utterly untrue," Tambor said in a statement. However, the New York Times reports today that Tambor's departure is far from certain and the show is currently operating under a very unclear future.
Netflix cuts ties with Danny Masterson following rape allegations
The ongoing crackdown on sexual assault and harassment in the entertainment industry has led Netflix to pull a second high-profile actor following Kevin Spacey's removal from House of Cards. The streaming service has removed Danny Masterson from The Ranch in response to mounting pressure over rape allegations against the star. While he will still be present in a new season of the show that premieres on December 15th, he's being written out of the production. The Huffington Post understands that Masterson will still be present in some episodes for the next season.
Uber drivers the focus of class action suit alleging sexual assault
Uber is facing yet another lawsuit, this time in response to alleged rapes two unidentified women suffered when taking an Uber. According to a report at Recode, the plaintiffs of this class action suit seek compensation for the sexual assaults as well as an injunction to force the ride-sharing company to improve its background checks.
#MeToo becomes a rallying cry for survivors of sexual assault
Yesterday, a campaign geared towards demonstrating just how common sexual assault and harassment are began to spread on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Alongside the hashtag #MeToo, women began posting their own stories of harassment in response to a prompt by Alyssa Milano.
Uber fires executive who obtained rape victim's medical records
Uber's problems with corporate culture aren't over just because it fired 20 people. Both the New York Times and Recode have learned that the ridesharing company has fired Asia-Pacific president Eric Alexander (shown above) after word got out that he obtained the medical records of a woman raped by her Uber driver in New Delhi, India. Uber would only confirm that Alexander is no longer an employee, but it's more than a little unusual for a transportation exec to get sensitive information relating to a criminal case. And if the sources are accurate, the reasons behind the move are equally strange.
Uber driver accused of raping an unconscious 17-year-old girl
An Uber driver in Southern California was charged Thursday with four felony counts of sexual assault for allegedly raping an unconscious 17-year-old girl as he drove her home to Laguna Beach early Saturday morning. The suspect, 23-year-old Samer Alaaeldin Mahran, is currently being held on $100,000 bail and could face a maximum sentence of up to 28 years in prison if convicted.
Alien sex tapes, robot rape and the evolution of consent
A little over a week ago Engadget's EIC and I had dinner with a couple of friends at a Chinatown Thai restaurant in L.A. As I sipped on a Singha Slurpee, our dinner companions, Claire Evans and Jona Bechtolt of the band Yacht, gave us an off-the-record rundown of a bizarre and twisted plan for the release of their next single, I Wanna Fuck You Till I'm Dead. They'd created a One Night in Paris-style sex tape spoof with a twist: Instead of peeling off their clothes, the couple would peel back their flesh to reveal hypersexualized alien bodies.
India mandates all smartphones must come with a panic button
India has decreed that, from 2017, all phones must be sold with a panic button that lets users instantly alert the emergency services. A year later and all devices sold must also come with GPS as standard in order for authorities to quickly locate victims of sexual assault. According to India's Economic Times, a long press on either the 5 or 9 button on a feature phone will be routed straight to police. In addition, smartphones will have to provide an on-screen emergency button or enable a panic call to be placed by -- for instance -- pressing the sleep/wake button three times in succession.
Teen indicted for Periscoping her friend's sexual assault
An Ohio woman used Periscope to livestream her friend's rape. According to a report by local NBC affiliate KXAN, in February 18-year-old Marina Lonina and her 17-year-old friend were hanging out with 29-year-old Raymond Boyd Gates when after an indeterminate period of time, Gates allegedly began sexually assaulting the victim. From another state, one of Lonina's friends watching the stream reported it to the proper authorities. A grand jury has recently indicted Lonina and Gates with charges for one count of kidnapping, two of rape, one of sexual battery and three counts of pandering sexually-oriented material involving a minor.
Uber rejects talk of 'thousands' of sexual assault reports
Uber isn't fond of allegations that it doesn't do enough to stop sexual assault during rides, and it's opening up some of its data to prevent its bruised reputation from getting worse. In response to BuzzFeed News obtaining leaked customer support data suggesting that there were thousands of complaints about sexual assault during trips, Uber has released official info that suggests the problem isn't as serious. Reportedly, there were "fewer than" 170 complaints of sexual assault between December 2012 and August 2015, and five of rape -- still horrific, but not as bad as implied. The search queries that BuzzFeed obtained supposedly include results that have no relation to actual cases, such as names (people named "Rapelli" would show up) or pricing gripes that involve a poor choice of words.
