Welcome to the latest edition of AFT NewsWatch, a weekly service of Advocates for Fairness in Transportation, an ad hoc group of regulated transportation service companies dedicated to informing and educating the public on threats to public safety from new so-called ride-sharing or ride-booking services such as Uber, Lyft and Sidecar. Visit the Archive to read previous editions.

Thousands of Uber accounts are allegedly being sold on the dark web

Thousands of Uber users account credentials could have been compromised, and are up for sale from unscrupulous sellers. At least two separate vendors on dark web marketplace AlphaBay are hawking active Uber accounts, Motherboard reports. Once purchased, these accounts let buyers order up rides using whatever payment information is on file. Those accounts can also show trip history, email addresses, phone numbers, and location information for people's home and work addresses.

Read more from The Verge

Uber's endless scandals question the safety of the shared economy

The wildly popular ridesharing app, Uber, has completely revolutionized how we get from A to B. The company has boosted our economy in providing many with part-time job opportunities and significantly reducing drunk-driving incidents. The massive surge in public consumption, however, has unfortunately spiked a series of scandals that questions whether convenience trumps safety and moral principles, and if the shared economy model can truly be trusted.

Read more from Carbonated.TV

Chicago taxicab safety audit baits rideshare opponents, highlights broken system

"The real safety risk is posed by so-called ride-share operators like Uber and Lyft that are barely regulated at all." That's what Tracey Abman, associate director of AFSCME Council 31, said in a statement to the media after reports surfaced that a city audit revealed failures in Chicago's taxicab safety inspections. She also maintained that licensed taxis remain the safest choice for consumers.

Read more from ChicagoNow

Uber isn't driving gender equality: Why its new hiring scheme is a road to nowhere

There have been a lot of ridiculous claims made about apps and what is loosely called "the sharing economy." And, to be fair, not all of them have been made by tech boosters. But the email that went around from ride-for-hire app company Uber about its new and exciting partnership with UN Women to "Step it Up for Gender Equality" by hiring 1,000,000 women might have been the most laughable yet.

Read more from Dame

Dutch regulators raid Uber offices over court ruling compliance

A Dutch regulatory agency raided the Amsterdam offices of taxi hailing service Uber in connection with its UberPOP unit after a court deemed it illegal in December. Uber allows users to summon taxi services with smartphones while its UberPOP arm links private drivers to passengers. In December, a Dutch court became the latest in Europe to ban UberPOP on grounds that it fell foul of licensing laws for commercial drivers.

Read more from Reuters

Commentary: Pro-Uber bills are a risky bet for Florida consumers

We've all heard of State Farm, Progressive and Geico, but what about Transit Casualty or Iowa National? No funny commercials tout the savings for those or Reliance Insurance or Legion Insurance. These companies shared two things in common: they were once rated Best "A" carriers; and they also became bankrupt in a very short period of time. 

Read more from the Palm Beach Post

Uber driver arrested on sexual assault charges in Paris

An Uber driver in France has been arrested on charges of sexually assaulting a female passenger outside a nightclub in Paris. As first reported by French daily Le Parisien, the unnamed driver is due to appear before a judge on May 29th and, if convicted, could face up to five years in prison and a fine of $82,000. Uber has come under increased scrutiny for its safety record in recent months, after one of its chauffeurs in India was arrested on charges of raping a female passenger late last year. 

Read more from The Verge

Uber's unregulated taxi service taking community for a ride

Since coming to Eugene last summer, Uber has operated with near impunity, openly recruiting drivers and operating illegal for-hire taxis on our streets, all the while thumbing its nose at city rules focused on safety and security. Uber is also operating at a tremendous and unfair cost advantage over legitimate, licensed taxi services by claiming the rules do not apply to the company. Left unchecked, this seriously unfair playing field risks destroying our community's taxi industry - an industry that does many things for our citizens that Uber cannot or does not care to do.

Read more from the Eugene Register-Guard

Ridesharing services must have similar insurance rules to cabs

Like taxis, ridesharing services need adequate liability insurance. In the brave new world of ridesharing led by Lyft and Uber, exactly when should company auto insurance vs. the personal insurance of drivers kick in? And what levels of coverage are adequate? Those are the questions Minnesota lawmakers are considering as they debate mandates for transportation network companies, known as TNCs.

Read more from the Minneapolis Star Tribune