Uber Bosses’ Encrypted Chat Stirs Major Legal Test

Uber Bosses’ Encrypted Chat Stirs Major Legal Test
In this Photo Illustration, a phone displays the Uber ride-hailing app on September 22, 2017 in London, England. Leon Neal/Getty Images
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SAN FRANCISCO–Top executives at Uber Technologies Inc. used the encrypted chat app Wickr to hold secret conversations, current and former workers testified in court this week, setting up what could be the first major legal test of the issues raised by the use of encrypted apps inside companies.

The revelations Tuesday and Wednesday about the extensive use of Wickr inside Uber upended the high-stakes legal showdown with Alphabet’s Inc Waymo unit, which accuses the ride-hailing firm of stealing its self-driving car secrets.