Uber has been hitting the headlines for all the wrong reasons lately, and now a new report from the New York Times indicates the app was almost kicked out of the Apple App Store in 2015. The reason: Uber was violating Apple's App Store guidelines by tracking iPhone users. This continued even when the app was deleted, and the device erased, add the report. The report notes Uber did this thanks to the problems in China, where stolen iPhones were being used by fraudsters, but it kept Apple out of the dark initially, though that trick didn't last for long. According to the New York Times report, which is a profile of Uber's CEO Travis Kalanick, Apple CEO Tim Cook had called in Kalanick for a meeting after this violation of guidelines was discovered. The report recounts how Tim Cook told Kalanick, "“So, I’ve heard you’ve been breaking some of our rules.” Cook then warned Uber from continuing with this trickery or else the app would be out of the Apple App Store, says the report. Uber gave in, because getting dropped from the App Store would mean a massive loss in revenue. According to a report on CNET, Uber has denied the charges in the report that it was tracking users. Also read: Uber used secret program to track Lyft drivers: Report Uber issued a statement, "We absolutely do not track individual users or their location if they've deleted the app." However, the statement adds, they did this earlier to ensure that Uber can't be loaded on a stolen phone or a stolen credit card can't be used. The statement says, "Similar techniques are also used for detecting and blocking suspicious logins to protect our users' accounts. Being able to recognize known bad actors when they try to get back onto our network is an important security measure for both Uber and our users." However, this sort of tracking, which continues even after an iPhone has been wiped clean, violates Apple's privacy guidelines for developers. For Uber, and its CEO this sort of risky behaviour was nothing new, as the report highlights. The report notes that Uber is facing a crisis of sorts, thanks to the recent claims of rampant sexual harassment at the firm and 'bro-culture' where growth was seen as key. The popular ride-sharing app's image was further damaged when a video leaked of the CEO arguing and shouting at an Uber driver. Uber's also facing a #DeleteUber movement in the US, and a number of top executives have quit the company in the recent months. More importantly, Uber is facing a lawsuit from Waymo, Google's self-driving car unit, over theft of intellectual property.
