ST. LOUIS - Ride-hailing companies Uber and Lyft have cut ties with a driver who recorded hundreds of St. Louis-area passengers without their permission and livestreamed the video.
32-year-old Jason Gargac of Florissant, Missouri, has given about 700 rides since March and most have been streamed to his channel on the live video website Twitch, where he goes by the username "JustSmurf."
Gargac said he's trying to "capture the natural interactions between myself and the passengers."
Some riders told the newspaper their privacy had been violated and they didn't know they were livestreamed and wouldn't have consented.
Uber said Monday it has ended its relationship with Gargac. Lyft has deactivated the driver from its app.
It is not a crime in Missouri for parties to record their own interactions, unless it shows someone nude without that person's consent.
