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Comment by pfarnsworth | Hacker News Reader

How is this video not illegal, especially in California?

And sure rates went down, but it's still 3X the price of UberX. It didn't go down precipitously. From $4.90/1.25 to 3.75/0.65 won't cause someone to lose $97k and probably he got more activity overall. I agree with the CEO that this guy sounds like he's blaming Uber for his problems, when there are plenty of UberBlack drivers making hand over fist otherwise the drivers wouldn't be there. My wife's last UberX driver said he was making $3k/week.

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> How is this video not illegal, especially in California?

You agree to surveillance when you enter the car. Just like a taxi, a bus, a train or a trolley.

You actually don't have an "expectation of privacy" in these spaces either. So a drone cam or telephoto lens is okay too. That's where state law is interesting.

California is actually surprisingly permissive for photographers and videographers.

Doesn't California require 2 party consent? So all parties have to consent to the recording for it to be lawful.

Which state laws are you reading?

2 party consent is the case when you're in a private space with someone else and have a "reasonable expectation of privacy."

This is not an absolute thing. For example, a shoe cam to look up skirts doesn't fly just because you're in a public space.

I thought 2 party consent laws only dealt with audio recordings.

This varies by state.

Unless Uber has that in its terms of service, that may be open to interpretation. Even if an Uber is considered a public space, that's not the sole determining factor in two-party consent cases.

http://www.dmlp.org/legal-guide/california-recording-law

Not sure why you're being downvoted. Your read is absolutely right.

> From $4.90/1.25 to 3.75/0.65 won't cause someone to lose $97k

The driver probably bought a few cars and runs a "small business" over Uber. He had dreams of making big money fast. It didn't pan out.

I understand the anger and frustration, but not the placement of blame.

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