EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:

In the latest wrong turn concerning Uber’s alleged business transgressions, the firm is accused of hiring ex-CIA agents to spy on overseas competitors.

The BBC reports that “Richard Jacobs, Uber’s former manager of global intelligence, said in court on Tuesday that the ride-hailing app company had used an espionage team to conduct surveillance overseas on rivals….”

Reportedly, the espionage team hired contractors that employed former CIA agents to carry out the cyber surveillance. Based on Jacobs’ testimony, the Los Angeles Times reports that the firm communicated on a service that automatically erases messages. “He also testified that the company relied on a surreptitious computer system to eliminate all digital trails, and that it dispatched its security team to train self-driving car engineers in Pittsburgh on how to conceal their electronic tracks” writes the Los Angeles Times.

The revelations have put the brakes (for now) on the lawsuit trial between Uber and Waymo, which is owned by Alphabet (Google’s parent company). That trial was centered around the charge that Uber stole self-driving car technology trade secrets from Waymo.

Read the full story at the Los Angeles Times.