Skip to main content

Safety measure: A former chief of Secret Service just joined Uber advisory board

Uber
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Since establishing its Safety Advisory Board in November, Uber has been paying closer attention to the numerous security and safety issues that have plagued the transportation giant seemingly since its inception. And now, it’s bringing the big guns to the table. Former U.S. Secret Service director Mark Sullivan is the latest big name to join Uber’s board, and the company hopes he’ll use his decades of experience in protecting America’s leaders to help keep Uber drivers and passengers safe.

Sullivan, who served as director of the Secret Service from 2006 until 2013, has co-founded his own security company — Global Security Innovative Strategies, described as “a security consulting and business advisory firm [that] leverages its extensive private sector, homeland and public security, public sector and international expertise to provide comprehensive solutions for its clients.”

The ex-director will join a team that includes security officer Joe Sullivan (previously of Facebook). And, of course, who could forget Uber’s surprising hiring of car hackers Charlie Miller and Chris Valasek, who remotely hacked into a moving jeep in a now-famous stunt.

“As we continue to innovate and grow, we depend on the advice of this [safety advisory] board to help guide our creativity and give us insights into their fields of expertise —  ranging from women’s safety to law enforcement,” said Joe Sullivan. “For 35 years, Mr. Sullivan served in many capacities as a federal law enforcement agent, where he led high-impact initiatives in criminal investigations and protective operations, threat assessment, and risk management.”

This latest addition to Uber’s leadership team could help assuage concerns of passengers around the world, and make getting from Point A to Point B less a more secure activity.

Editors' Recommendations

Lulu Chang
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Fascinated by the effects of technology on human interaction, Lulu believes that if her parents can use your new app…
How to view Instagram without an account
An iPhone 15 Pro Max showing Instagram via a web browser.

Instagram is one of the largest social media platforms on the planet. Whether you want to share a family photo, what you had for lunch at your favorite cafe, or a silly video of your cat, Instagram is the place to do it.

Read more
Something odd is happening with Samsung’s two new budget phones
A person holding the Samsung Galaxy A35 and Galaxy A55.

The Samsung Galaxy A35 (left) and Galaxy A55 Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

I’ve been using the Samsung Galaxy A55 for almost two weeks and have now swapped my SIM card over to the Samsung Galaxy A35. These are the latest entries in Samsung's budget-minded Galaxy-A series. In all honestly, I can barely tell the difference between them.

Read more
Learn 14 languages: Get $449 off a lifetime subscription to Babbel
A person using the Babbel app on their smartphone.

Learning a new language no longer requires you to make time for formal classes because there are now several language learning apps that you can tap. One of them is Babbel, and you can currently get a lifetime subscription to the online learning platform for only $150 from StackSocial. That's $449 off its original price of $599, but we don't know how much time is remaining before the offer expires. If you want to take advantage of the 74% discount, it's highly recommended that you complete the transaction immediately.

Why you should buy the Babbel lifetime subscription
A lifetime subscription to Babbel not only unlocks the possibility of learning one or two new languages, as the platform encompasses a total of 14 languages: English, French, Spanish, German, Italian, Portuguese, Swedish, Turkish, Dutch, Polish, Indonesia, Norwegian, Danish, and Russian. You'll be learning your new language of choice with lessons that only take 10 minutes to 15 minutes each to complete, so unlike classes with a rigid schedule, you can learn at your own pace and at any time you're free through Babbel. The lessons cover real-life topics, and they use speech recognition technology to help you master pronunciation. You'll then test yourself through personalized review sessions that will help make sure that you retain all the information that's being taught to you.

Read more