Social Media Reacts To Uber’s New Gun Violence Feature

Riders are being asked to observe a moment of silence in honor of those lost to gun violence this week.

July 09, 2016

A photo posted by Uber (@uber) on

Corporate reactions to sensitive, politically-charged topics are often hit-or-miss. Just ask the folks at Uber, who today are weathering a volley of eye rolls at the hands of social media users.

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The reason? The ride hailing app has launched a statement and new feature on gun violence in the wake of this week's high profile shootings of Alton Sterling, Philando Castile, and five police officers in Dallas. When users opened their app today, many saw this message:

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Our hearts go out to the victims of this week's terrible gun violence. As a show of solidarity to all affected, you'll see a peace sign in our app. As we move around our cities this weekend, let's take a moment to think about what we can do to help.

At around midnight, Uber paused the app for one minute "to create a moment of reflection for the Uber community so we can all think about what we can do to help." The company also stated that it will donate money to social justice and anti-violence nonprofits in Baton Rouge, Minneapolis, and Dallas, the sites of this week's shootings. Hours later, users who are hailing drivers today have seen the banner that usually displays drivers' arrival time prompting them to use their wait to "reflect on gun violence." Overall, would-be Uber riders are not having it.

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The FADER has reached out to Uber for a statement.

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Social Media Reacts To Uber’s New Gun Violence Feature