Uber has hired Facebook’s Joe Sullivan to be its first chief security officer.
“This is a chance to help build the culture of a young and growing organization, and to continue building upon the safety and security initiatives that are the backbone of Uber’s success,” Sullivan said in a statement.
For Uber, hiring in security is particularly important. In February, the company disclosed that it had experienced a breach of its systems, which potentially exposed the names and driver’s license identification numbers of as many as 50,000 of the company’s drivers. Uber has also faced criticism for its driver screening process; some lawmakers have accused the company of taking shortcuts on background checks for new drivers.
According to his job description, Mr. Sullivan will most likely be responsible for several of those areas, from overseeing the security of Uber’s vast driver data to improving safety measures for drivers and passengers.
“It’s no longer about traditional metrics for safe transportation or keeping our community’s data private and secure,” Travis Kalanick, chief executive of Uber, said in a statement. “But about how we lead efforts to redefine and strengthen physical and data security in the location-based world.”
FULL STORY
