Uber has announced a new fee to help drivers and delivery people offset the cost of record-high gas prices beginning Wednesday, March 16. Rideshare riders will pay a $0.50 surcharge on every ride and, on Uber Eats where trips are shorter, consumer fees will be adjusted to cover the equivalent of a $0.35 surcharge on every delivery. 100% of the surcharge will go directly to drivers and delivery people. The fee is temporary but will last for at least the next 60 days. Uber plans to continue to monitor the gas price situation over the coming weeks and months and will likely make changes to the surcharge.
The temporary fee is designed to reduce the burden of high gas prices, not to cover the full cost of a tank. Earnings on the platform remain elevated compared to historical trends. However, Uber knows that increases at the pump have impacted earnings of drivers and delivery people.
Long term, Uber continues to work to encourage drivers and delivery people to make the switch to electric vehicles, which will both limit the impact of the volatility in fuel prices and lower emissions. Uber has made a commitment to operate a zero-emission platform globally by 2040, and in Canadian cities with supportive policies—like Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver—by 2030.
- Earlier this year, Uber announced a partnership with Plug’n Drive to create and offer webinars as well as host test drive opportunities for drivers. This will give drivers the opportunity to learn about the total cost of owning an EV and the benefits of making the switch from gas to electric.
- Last fall Uber announced a partnership with Greenlots, a member of Shell Group, to create three new charging stations in Vancouver to increase EV charger access exclusively for drivers and delivery people on the Uber platform. It will offer discounted rates to make public charging more affordable than charging at home.
- Drivers who switch to EVs can enjoy higher earnings potential due to Uber’s Green Future Program, which provides incentives – such as $1 more per trip up to $4,000 annually – for drivers to transition from gas-powered vehicles to EVs.
A Member Of The REvil Gang Has Been Extradited To The US To Stand Trial
Posted in Commentary with tags Crime on March 12, 2022 by itnerdI’ve been saying for a very long time that people behind cybercrimes need to be brought to justice 100% of the time. Now I finally get my wish. The U.S. Department of Justice announced that alleged REvil ransomware affiliate, Yaroslav Vasinskyi, was extradited to the United States last week to stand trial for the Kaseya cyberattack:
According to the indictment, Vasinskyi was allegedly responsible for the July 2, 2021, ransomware attack against Kaseya. In the alleged attack against Kaseya, Vasinskyi caused the deployment of malicious Sodinokibi/REvil code throughout a Kaseya product that caused the Kaseya production functionality to deploy REvil ransomware to “endpoints” on Kaseya customer networks. After the remote access to Kaseya endpoints was established, the ransomware was executed on those computers, which resulted in the encryption of data on computers of organizations around the world that used Kaseya software.
Through the deployment of Sodinokibi/REvil ransomware, the defendant allegedly left electronic notes in the form of a text file on the victims’ computers. The notes included a web address leading to an open-source privacy network known as Tor, as well as the link to a publicly accessible website address the victims could visit to recover their files. Upon visiting either website, victims were given a ransom demand and provided a virtual currency address to use to pay the ransom. If a victim paid the ransom, the defendant provided the decryption key and the victim then was able to access their files. If a victim did not pay the ransom, the defendant typically posted the victim’s stolen data or claimed they sold the stolen data to third parties, and victims remained unable to access their files.
Vasinskyi is charged with conspiracy to commit fraud and related activity in connection with computers, damage to protected computers, and conspiracy to commit money laundering. If convicted of all counts, he faces a total penalty of 115 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Vasinskyi, a Ukrainian national with ties to a ransomware group linked to Russia-based actors, was taken into custody in Poland where he remained held by authorities pending proceedings in connection with his requested extradition to the United States, pursuant to the extradition treaty between the United States and the Republic of Poland. Vasinskyi was transported to Dallas by U.S. law enforcement authorities where he arrived on March 3. He made his initial court appearance and was arraigned today in the Northern District of Texas.
Nice! Hopefully others get their day in court so that they can get the punishment that they deserve. Because these sorts of crimes should never go unpunished.
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