Five Republican members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee sent a letter to Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi on Thursday to raise concerns about drivers for the company allegedly transporting illegal drugs across the country.
GOP Reps. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (Wash.), Gus Bilirakis (Fla.), Bob Latta (Ohio), Morgan Griffith (Va.) and Brett Guthrie (Ky.) said in the letter that they have questions about how Uber is “preserving the integrity” of Uber Connect, which allows people to send items with same-day delivery.
The lawmakers noted that a 22-year-old woman named Alex Portillo died earlier this year from fentanyl poisoning after receiving the drug through an Uber Connect delivery.
They said they have supported the development of new technologies and the benefits that the gig economy provides people, but noted that bad actors might take advantage of the service to send harmful products to unaware recipients.
The representatives said that GOP members of the committee previously sent letters to the heads of social media companies on their responsibility to address the spread of fentanyl but that the “crisis” is not just limited to the scope of such companies.
“Just as we have asked social media companies to do their part to curb the sale of drugs on their platforms, Uber must act to ensure Uber Connect is not used to transport untracked shipments of illicit drugs to Americans,” they said.
The lawmakers requested that Khosrowshahi provide a briefing to Uber staff and respond to a series of questions by Jan. 5.
They asked for information including an explanation of the agreement terms for participants of Uber Connect, the number of accounts that have been deactivated after shipping packages with prohibited contents and what information from the sender and recipient Uber Connect gathers.
An Uber spokesperson said in a statement that the company’s community guidelines expressly prohibit using any Uber service for illegal activity. They said drivers are never penalized for canceling a delivery if they feel unsafe or uncomfortable, and they are encouraged to report criminal activity.
“Uber is committed to investigating alleged criminal activity on the platform and we work hard to help prevent it,” they said. “When we receive reports of this nature, we investigate and take action, including banning accounts and reporting to law enforcement.”
The spokesperson also said that anyone reported as having participated in illegal activity may be kicked off the platform, and illegal products include alcohol, medications, recreational drugs, firearms and dangerous or illegal items.
– Updated 2:11 p.m.