Travis Kalanick, head of the Digital Restaurant Association, wants to know a lot more about you. The group has been actively pushing legislation that would effectively require services like GrubHub and DoorDash to share consumers’ information with a much broader group of providers.
Beyond gaining a competitive edge, why would an organization claiming to only want to “recognize who you are from your order and make sure they get everything right” want so much consumer data. The answer likely has something to do with the DRA’s chief proponent: erstwhile Uber CEO Travis Kalanick.
In addition to maintaining a boys’ club atmosphere that many called “toxic,” Kalanick’s volatile tenure at Uber was marked by aggressive efforts to hoover sensitive data about consumers. Now holding a controlling interest in CloudKitchens, a “ghost kitchen” firm that provides prepared food delivery, Kalanick has another venture that covets consumer data – whether consumers want to provide it or not.
When the DRA was pushing for an ordinance in Miami-Dade that would have effectively required food delivery services to share their customers’ data, County Commissioners got wise to the scheme. With a long history of aggressive tactics, Kalanick is not likely to abandon his pursuit.
The DRA, acting as a front for Kalanick’s efforts, will continue to advance proposals that endanger consumer data privacy. Whether or not he succeeds will depend upon continued consumer vigilance.
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