Parents can now track their teenager's Uber ride in real time using the driver's phone.

      Uber is introducing live video streaming for teen rides in the US, utilizing the driver's phone as the camera and directing the feed to connected parental accounts. Other passengers in the vehicle are visible in the stream and cannot opt out.

      The camera, owned by the driver, enables this feature, as Uber relies on the driver's personal phone instead of any installed equipment. The service is currently active in nine markets, including Atlanta and Cleveland, with plans for a nationwide rollout in the upcoming weeks.

      The control measures in place are fairly reasonable. A linked parent receives a notification and can decide whether to access the stream, and both the driver and the teenager are informed when someone is watching.

      However, one group was not consulted. Passengers in the vehicle also appear in the feed, and Uber does not provide them with an opportunity to opt out.

      The claim about encryption is also incomplete. While Uber asserts that the video is encrypted and erased after the ride, it has not clarified whether the encryption is end-to-end, which would prevent Uber from being able to access the footage.

      This situation isn’t limited to the US; teen accounts were introduced in the US in 2023 and are now available in over 50 countries. Additionally, Uber has faced significant regulatory scrutiny in Europe regarding driver data, recently receiving an €825 million fine from Dutch authorities.

      This penalty, issued last week, pertained to automated systems that deactivated driver accounts without human intervention, violating regulations on automated decision-making. This was not the first such penalty; the same authority fined Uber €290 million in 2024 for transferring driver data to the US, following smaller penalties in 2018 and 2023.

      This new feature essentially captures footage of the same individuals. A driver is filmed while working on their own device by a parent of a customer, creating a situation where opting out is not a clear choice.

      Children are the other focus here, and European regulators have been particularly aggressive in addressing issues related to minors, with a third of GDPR fines against social platforms linked to the protection of young people.

      Uber has not confirmed whether this feature will be introduced in Europe. The primary question it would need to address is regarding the passengers who did not consent.

      Published August 25, 2026 - 3:41 pm UTC

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