Hundreds of leaked files have exposed how Uber bribed top politicians, avoided checks and how far it went to evade justice. They detail how Uber received help from leaders such as Emmanuel Macron and former EU Commissioner Neelie Kroes. But criminal cases also happened in Belgium that have never seen the light of day until now. The Uber Files are a collection of more than 124,000 documents and were leaked by the British newspaper The Guardian. De Tijd and Knack also investigated the case.
What is Uber?
Uber is an American company that acts as an intermediary between travelers and taxi drivers. Via a mobile app, people can quickly call on a driver who is nearby. Uber is active in 72 countries and hundreds of cities, including Brussels.
Uber has completely turned the taxi business upside down in recent years. In several cities, traditional taxi drivers have protested against competition from Uber in recent years, as Uber drivers often work as private individuals and are unlicensed.
The files cover 40 countries and span the period from 2013 to 2017. This is the period in which Uber grew from a brave start-up to a global behemoth. The more than 124,000 internal Uber files expose the ethically questionable practices the company used to push into new markets. Often there were laws or regulations that made their activities illegal, but they began to lobby aggressively to get what they want.
As economy minister, Emmanuel Macron went to extraordinary lengths to support Uber. He even told the company that he had struck a “deal” with his opponents in the French cabinet. Despite many protests from taxi drivers and the illegal basis, Uber managed to continue to operate their services through their network. It is also known that two of Barack Obama’s top advisers, David Plouffe and Jim Messina, helped Uber access leaders, officials and diplomats.
emergency button
In addition, top Uber executives ordered the use of an “emergency button” to prevent police and regulators from accessing sensitive data during raids on Uber’s offices. With the push of that button, all data was immediately protected. That way they could hide tax evasion and other malpractice.
The former Vice-President of the European Commission, Neelie Kroes, secretly lobbied for the American tech company Uber in 2015 and 2016, even after the European Commission explicitly banned her from taking a position at the company. Kroes approached government officials, top officials, and Prime Minister Mark Rutte on behalf of Uber. The billion-dollar company wanted to influence taxi legislation and a criminal investigation into Uber through Kroes.
Belgian hatch
The files also revealed abuses in our country. For example, Uber sent a private detective to the main two competitors in Brussels. The assignment was not only to map out the company structure, but also to check the ties of these companies with politicians or aldermen.
In addition, they also monitored government services. When Uber took office in our capital, they did not comply with the tax, social and safety rules. Brussels Mobility therefore instructed mystery shoppers in 2015 to catch Uber and its drivers as customers in disguise. People from Uber also infiltrated those mystery shoppers in order to find out where and when there were checks.
In June 2022, the Brussels parliament approved the reform of the Brussels taxi sector. In addition to traditional taxi companies, platforms such as Uber will also be given a statute and legal framework. In Flanders, the taxi rules were reformed two years ago for services such as Uber. This does not solve all legal problems yet.
The old criminal files against Uber have not yet been tried. “The council chamber has merged two files in which a civil complaint was filed against Uber – by the Brussels-Capital Region and by a number of taxi companies,” Willemien Baert, the spokeswoman for the Brussels public prosecutor’s office, is quoted as saying. “These files have been referred together to the French-speaking police court in Brussels, where they are pending. The case will be heard in September 2022.”
An investigation into Uber couriers who deliver meals is underway at the Brussels labor prosecutor. Several infringements were found during checks. It concerns illegal employment and not being subject to a social status.
Response Uber
Uber says founder Travis Kalanick has never authorized actions or programs that would obstruct justice in any country. “It is almost certain that the very reporters and individuals involved in reporting these issues are, in fact, regularly using Uber themselves. This shows exactly how meaningful Uber has become around the world.”
ALSO WATCH: Uber protest caused traffic chaos in Brussels last winter
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