International press review
In the spotlight: revelations about the brutal methods of the Uber platform
Audio 05:02
Uber File has been in the news since the ICJ updates this Sunday, July 10.
AFP/File
By: Anne Corpet Follow
5 mins
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The revelations about the brutal, even illegal, methods of the Uber platform are on the front page of many foreign titles, and first and foremost the Guardian.
It is indeed the British daily which obtained and shared with the international consortium of investigative journalists (ICJ) 124,000 documents from the company.
“
Uber broke the law, tricked the police and secretly lobbied governments
” headlines the newspaper which specifies
“these documents reveal the methods used by Uber to lay the foundations of its empire: pressuring to change laws and impose its model, pay handsomely influential intermediaries to plead their case, and, in the face of the anger of traditional taxi drivers, a single watchword: embrace chaos
".
One of the company's Asia manager's messages to his directors and published by
The Guardian
is eloquent: "
if the fire starts to catch
" he writes,
"blow on the embers, know that it is a normal part of Uber's business
.
A message perfectly consistent with that written by the co-founder of the platform, who replies, when questioned about the discontent of Parisian taxis: "
violence guarantees success
"
Uber has tried to impose its law in no less than forty countries
In Germany, the
Süddeutsche Zeitung
which took part in the survey obviously returns to Emmanuel Macron's discreet support for Californian society when he was Minister of the Economy, but not only.
The German daily devotes a few lines to the interventions of the current French president in favor of Uber, and specifies that the platform has tried to impose its law in no less than forty countries on all continents.
The list of high-profile officials Uber executives have met with to make their case is impressive.
With more or less success.
Like Emmanuel Macron, then British Finance Minister Georges Osborne is described as "
receptive
" "
he is one of our fervent defenders
“Can we read in one of the emails unveiled in the
Guardian
.
But
“the aggressive lobbying campaign that began in Germany in 2014 has not been very successful,”
reports the
Süddeutsche Zeitung
.
Result, the German Chancellor Olaf Sholtz, at the time mayor of Hamburg and hostile to the development of the platform in his city, is mocked in the emails of the leaders of Uber: he is portrayed there as “
a pure comedian
”.
The highly questionable and perfectly accepted practices of Uber's leaders.
“We have become pirates, we are sailing squarely illegally,
”
writes one of the platform managers in one of the emails released by the consortium of journalists.
The messages exchanged evoke illegal practices in Turkey, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, France, Germany, Russia and the Czech Republic.
As the platform's communications director wrote unfiltered in a post from 2014: "
Sometimes we get in trouble because, well, we're just fucking illegals
. "
In the United States, the
Washington Post
also returns to the method used by Uber to deal with possible searches by the police.
It is the "
circuit breaker
in other words, the remote disconnection of computers.
“
Uber used secret technology to thwart government raids,
” explains the daily.
According to the
Washington Post
, this remote hibernation of company computers when law enforcement arrives, to prevent them from gaining access to them, has been used more than a dozen times in at least six country.
In Spain,
El Pais
has chosen to focus on the fate of employees of the Californian platform.
“
We are slaves to Uber: the cost for drivers of an impossible business model
” headlines
El Pais
.
The newspaper recalls the marathon schedules and low wages imposed by Uber, and reveals how the company abandons drivers in the event of theft or assault.
“
We pay for all the broken dishes”
summarizes Javier, a driver who testifies anonymously for fear of reprisals.
In Sri Lanka, the resignation of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa will be effective next Wednesday.
The president has officially confirmed that he will step down on July 13, the
Times
in Colombo announced this morning.
Gotabaya Rajapaksa and the Prime Minister had announced on Saturday evening, after the irruption of demonstrators in their respective residences, that they were ready to leave their posts, explains the newspaper, but their letters of resignation have not yet arrived.
Leaders of all parties represented in the Assembly are to meet on Monday to discuss the transition process.
According to the constitution, details
The Times
, parliament will have seven days, after the effective resignation of the president, to appoint an interim head of state pending legislative and presidential elections to be held before next March.
Events in Sri Lanka are obviously closely followed by India, the large neighboring country.
The Indian Express
publishes in Front page the photo of a swimmer who plunges into the swimming pool of the presidential residence.
The photo was taken this Sunday and seems to reflect the good mood of the demonstrators after the departure of the president.
.
But the Indian press is worried.
“Political crisis escalates in Sri Lanka
” headlines
The Hindu
which explains
“President Rajapaksa holds majority in parliament, complicating transition efforts”.
The
Hindustan Times
recalls for its part that: “
the demonstrators are determined to remain in the presidential palace until the effective departure of the Head of State and the Prime Minister
”.
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