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Uber driver kills 6
- Killah911 11y agoIs it me or is Uber being dragged into this the same way craigslist was dragged into somehow being a breeding ground for serial killers who were trolling the "adult services" section, which ultimately resulted incraigslist shutting it down.
- avs733 11y agoI think the difference here is that craigslist did not employ the serial killers
- brandonbloom 11y agoPresumably, this guy passed the same cookie cutter background check that any employer, including a traditional taxi company, would have used.
- Killah911 11y agoThere aren't much details available, but it seems that the driver appeared to be a pretty "normal" family man. If the criminal background/etc didn't turn anything up, then why would there be a significantly higher bar for Uber compared to a typical cab company. I'm no über fanboy, but this certainly looks like a piece trying to stick it to Uber and generating negative PR which could scare future users from using uber. Bring out the pitchforks!
- avs733 11y agoI don't disagree with anything you said, but I think it is more reasonable to ask questions of Uber than the craigslist scenario that was provided.
- heimidal 11y agoAre you saying that the employers of all murderers, rapists, etc are responsible for looking into the future and determining whether or not an employee will do something illegal?
- avs733 11y agonot in the least, but providing a service that allows people to connect but provides no promise of a backgroudn check and simply facilitates offline contact (i.e., craigslist) seems notably different from Uber's directly connecting of customer and driver, facilitation of interaction, promise of background checks, and charging of a customer safety fee.
- avs733 11y agooh boy...this is going to turn into a well informed, articulate, and unbiased argument on all sides. I am sure of that.
- deleted 11y ago[deleted]
- Cyph0n 11y agoWhy not "driver kills six"? I'm not an Uber user or fanboy, just curious.
- Killah911 11y agoThat's why I posted it here. I think it's more of an intentional negative piece on Uber. I was quite dumbfounded when the whole "craigslist killer" suddenly painted craigslist as a shady place for "weird" people online. I suspect the reality was animosity against craigslist for being disruptive to print media.
- Symbiote 11y agoI assumed it was a car crash from the headline. Are cars invoked at all? "Man kills 6".
- pdq 11y agoWhat does Uber have to do with the story, other than to demonize the company? Was the suspect also a "milk drinker", and if so, why not put that into the story as well?
- krapp 11y agoAccording to the article, the suspect may have been picking up fares for Uber while shooting people, so his employer does appear to be relevant to the timeline. Also, Uber was mentioned in a quote by a law enforcement officer, as being part of the context of the investigation: While the company did not address reports that Dalton picked up and dropped off customers Saturday night, authorities told CNN that it was "certainly part of our investigation." "We're looking into his connection to Uber and whether or not he was picking up fares in between the shootings," said Public Safety Chief Jeff Hadley. If the shooter had possibly been delivering pizzas for Pizza Hut in the same context, his employer would have been mentioned as well. Certainly a quote by law enforcement mentioning his employer would have been used. This isn't a hit piece against Uber, this is reporting being done the way reporting is usually done.
- shitgoose 11y agoAnd if he was campaigning for Hillary between the shootings, that would also be relevant? EDIT: on the second thought... yes, it would.
- 13of40 11y agoThe cab driver / customer relationship is one of the few places in our culture where we have to set aside the age old wisdom of not getting into strangers' cars, and any hint that that might not be a good idea makes for sensational news. It's the same reason that picture of Gacy in clown makeup is so popular even though he never shot up a birthday party.
- swagv1 11y agoI think he may have had goatee as well. Definitely headline-worthy detail.
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- bdcravens 11y agoIt matters that he was an Uber the same way it matters what political party a politician is in when they break the law, or that a person is a preacher when they break the law. There's a narrative, and journalists more often than not emphasize elements of a story that support the narrative. Narrative being that despite background checks, Uber will let anyone drive for them regardless of safety concerns. Obviously illogical, but I know I've run into some real freaks when Ubering.
- shitgoose 11y agoThere is another narrative - government ran background checks on him as well before selling him a gun. And it let him walk around freely regardless of safety concerns.
- downandout 11y agoAccording to the article, his role as an Uber driver had absolutely nothing to do with this shooting. He didn't shoot his Uber passengers, or utilize the service to find victims. He was a psychopath driving around and shooting people at random places. This kind of headline is clearly irresponsible. In fact it's so outrageously irresponsible that I wouldn't be surprised if a CNN executive is an investor in a competing service. There is no reason to even mention what he did for a living, especially in the headline, except for fearmongering purposes.
- Hnrobert42 11y agoThe reason is more clicks.
- err4nt 11y agoHow about what he did during the spree, which was work as an Uber driver between slayings.
- yongjik 11y agoIn related news, county public health inspector kills 14. (Edit: ...and an iPhone owner)
- r-w 11y agoWhat does this have to do with Uber, other than a careless disregard for one’s appearance to others?
- yongelee 11y agoAnother random killing by a gun? Would these happen so often if guns were harder to access in America?
- Mandatum 11y agoI agree this is scaremongering at Uber's expense. I'd like them to be transparent about their interview/hire/employ process. I understand they do a criminal "background check" and they have a formal interview, just the same as any cab company. Do they only do a criminal background check in the country of their employment? Or do they also run it in countries they've just moved from, etc?