Uber and Lyft have joined the ranks of groups claiming they're "deeply concerned" about the FBI's hopes to keep its fingerprint, iris scan and photo database exempt from privacy laws, according to The Hill.
The FBI wants to keep its database — called the Next Generation Identification system — exempt from certain privacy laws. These laws would allow individuals to learn more information about the database and even sue the FBI for violations relating to the database.
However, a number of organizations — including the American Civil Liberties Union and the Electronic Frontier Foundation — have signed a letter in an attempt to stop the FBI. The letter, which gained 45 signatures, cites concerns over the transparency and civil rights implications of the database.
Popular ride-hailing companies Uber and Lyft were among those who signed the letter. "We believe the right path forward is to continue to improve the level of transparency and accountability that's built into our service and the processes available for screening drivers," Joe Sullivan, Uber's chief security officer, wrote in a blog post.