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By The Numbers

Uber releases data to address concerns about rape allegations

Tobin Low Mar 7, 2016

It’s Monday, and hopefully you had an OK time getting to work this morning. Here are some need-to-know numbers for your day.

via GIPHY

In response to a story published by Buzzfeed, Uber released data on Monday showing how many rape allegations it has received in the past few years. Between December 2012 and August 2015, the company says it has received 5 such claims, which is in sharp contrast from Buzzfeed’s numbers pulled from screenshots that showed some 5,800 complaints from customers. As the BBC reports, the company is defending itself, pointing to misinterpreted information such as customers accidentally misspelling “rate” as “rape,” and complaints filed by people who had never even used the service. [Update: After the initial  Buzzfeed report, Uber corrected one of its arguments about the way the Zendesk software delivers search results.]

Uber’s not alone in its woes — with the sharing economy growing, many consumers are wondering how big a role technology should play in their lives. One area that there seems to be a growing trust: investment. By some estimates, baby boomers will pass on $35-$40 trillion of wealth to their children and grand children. Increasingly, the world of investment have seen these next generations opt for investment software in place of trusting another person with making choices. And of course, right on cue, there’s a startup looking to take advantage of the trend.

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