<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0" xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/"><channel><title><![CDATA[criminal - SFist - San Francisco News, Restaurants, Events, & Sports]]></title><description><![CDATA[SFist is San Francisco's source for fun, witty, & serious news. With updates about restaurants, events, sports, politics & more, SFist reaches millions of users in California.]]></description><link>https://sfist.com/</link><image><url>https://sfist.com/favicon.png</url><title>criminal - SFist - San Francisco News, Restaurants, Events, &amp; Sports</title><link>https://sfist.com/</link></image><generator>Ghost 2.12</generator><lastBuildDate>Wed, 10 Jun 2026 20:37:13 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://sfist.com/criminal/rss/" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><ttl>60</ttl><item><title><![CDATA[Uber Under Criminal Investigation Over Shady 'Greyball' Scheme]]></title><description><![CDATA['Greyball' might prove to be the mother of all Uber scandals, as the Justice Department may bring criminal charges against the company.]]></description><link>https://sfist.com/2017/05/05/uber_under_criminal_probe_over_grey/</link><guid isPermaLink="false">5c24229644ad066cdcf1e148</guid><category><![CDATA[SF News]]></category><category><![CDATA[criminal]]></category><category><![CDATA[lyft]]></category><category><![CDATA[ridesharing]]></category><category><![CDATA[travis kalanick]]></category><category><![CDATA[uber]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Joe Kukura]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 05 May 2017 11:15:00 GMT</pubDate><media:content url="https://img.sfist.com/assets_c/2017/05/uberhq-thumb-640xauto-996300.jpg" medium="image"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<img src="https://img.sfist.com/assets_c/2017/05/uberhq-thumb-640xauto-996300.jpg" alt="Uber Under Criminal Investigation Over Shady 'Greyball' Scheme"><p><span class="mt-enclosure mt-enclosure-image" style="display: inline;">  </span></p>

<p>While the likelihood of Uber CEO Travis Kalanick doing the <a href="https://twitter.com/nydailynews/status/677527638865506306">perp walk in cuffs</a> still seems pretty remote, the latest scandalous development with the <a href="http://sfist.com/2017/04/24/travis_kalanick_nyt_unenrollme.php">rideshare company we love to hate</a> puts Uber squarely in the hottest water it’s been in yet. Reuters broke the news Thursday night that the U.S. Department of Justice has <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/us-uber-tech-crime-exclusive-idUSKBN1802U1">opened a criminal probe into Uber’s use of Greyball technology</a> that helped them allegedly deceive and evade local authorities in cities like Boston and Portland when Uber was not yet approved to operate. </p>

<p>We <a href="http://sfist.com/2017/03/03/nyt_got_uber_by_the_greyballs.php">first learned of Greyball</a> back in March, thanks to the New York Times expose <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/03/technology/uber-greyball-program-evade-authorities.html?_r=1">How Uber Deceives the Authorities Worldwide</a>. Greyball is not to be confused with Uber’s<a href="http://sfist.com/2017/04/13/uber_hell_lyft.php"> also sketchy top-secret program nicknamed “Hell”</a> that created fake Lyft accounts to monitor the whereabouts of Lyft drivers. (<strong>Protip:</strong> If you’re going to create software programs that blatantly violate laws, give them innocuous-sounding names like “InfoPoint” or “MapRabbit”. It might arouse less suspicion!)</p>

<p><a href="https://www.bna.com/justice-department-probing-n57982087337/">Bloomberg reported last week</a> that the Justice Department was probing Uber over its internal use of Greyball, but did not know the investigation was criminal. But Reuters found that a grand jury was demanding documents — a strong indication of a criminal investigation — and confirmed with a second source that the probe is indeed criminal in nature.  </p>

<p>“Uber received a subpoena from a Northern California grand jury seeking documents concerning how the software tool functioned and where it was deployed,” Reuters reports. “That indicates a criminal investigation is underway.”</p>

<p>“The nature of any potential federal criminal violation, and the likelihood of anyone being charged, is unclear,” note authors Dan Levine and Joseph Menn. “The investigation is still in its early stages.”</p>

<p>In the case of Greyball, authorities and local regulators in cities where Uber had not yet received permission to operate conducted sting operations to see if Uber drivers would pick them up anyway. Wary of this oversight, Uber used in-app data, scraped ride hailers’ social media profiles, and evaluated their credit card information (to see, say, whether the account holder was with a police credit union) to identify whether the ride hailer was involved with law enforcement or city regulation. </p>

<p>If the ride hailer met this criteria, they were shown no available cars or ghost cars that did not exist. In the lingo of Uber, the rider was “greyballed” — which given <a href="http://sfist.com/2017/02/20/ex-uber_engineer_says_company_is_fu.php">Uber’s corporate culture</a>, is almost certainly meant as a double-entendre.</p>

<p>Uber admits using the Greyball technology since 2014 but , but their attorneys claimed they used it “exceedingly sparingly” in letters made public last week. Uber <a href="http://sfist.com/2017/03/09/uber_will_quit_greyballing_and_has.php">stopped Greyballing in March</a> after the Times expose was published.</p>

<p>How much trouble this causes for Uber and Travis Kalanick remains to be seen, but the Uber CEO <a href="https://www.recode.net/2017/5/1/15498026/uber-travis-kalanick-arianna-huffington-code-conference">canceled his live onstage interview with Recode’s Kara Swisher</a> scheduled for later this month because of this accumulation of scandals. Now that he may be under criminal investigation by the feds, Kalanick might wish he hadn’t <a href="http://sfist.com/2017/02/02/uber_ceo_to_step_down_from_trump_ad.php">stepped down from Trump’s advisory council</a> because he could probably use some shady friends in high places right about now. </p>

<p><strong>Related:</strong> <a href="http://sfist.com/2017/04/26/day_around_the_bay_flying_uber_cars.php">Flying Uber Cars? Really?</a></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Zero Fun: <em>Criminal</em>, Reviewed]]></title><description><![CDATA[Costner playing against type is certainly the most entertaining he's been in years; it's just too bad the movie surrounding him is utter garbage.]]></description><link>https://sfist.com/2016/04/15/zero_fun_criminal_reviewed/</link><guid isPermaLink="false">5c242ff344ad066cdcf8cbcd</guid><category><![CDATA[Arts & Entertainment]]></category><category><![CDATA[criminal]]></category><category><![CDATA[kevin constner]]></category><category><![CDATA[sfist at the movies]]></category><category><![CDATA[sfist_reviews]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Rain Jokinen]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 15 Apr 2016 09:45:00 GMT</pubDate><media:content url="https://img.sfist.com/assets_c/2016/04/criminalcostner-thumb-640xauto-943325.jpg" medium="image"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<img src="https://img.sfist.com/assets_c/2016/04/criminalcostner-thumb-640xauto-943325.jpg" alt="Zero Fun: <em>Criminal</em>, Reviewed"><p><span class="mt-enclosure mt-enclosure-image" style="display: inline;">  </span></p>

<p><a href="http://www.criminal.movie/"><em>Criminal</em></a> is an utterly ridiculous action movie with a central premise straight out of a 1950's B-horror movie, although that makes it sound like a lot more fun than it actually is, which is zero fun.</p>

<p>CIA agent Bill Pope (Ryan Reynolds) is in London working on a case centered on a hacker known as The Dutchman (Michael Pitt), who has broken into a worldwide military defense system, and a "Spanish anarchist" named Hagbardaka Heimbahl (!), played by Jordi Molla. Pope is captured by the bad guys, and tortured, but before he can give them <em>or</em> the good guys the information they both need, he dies.</p>

<p>So the CIA team, headed by Gary Oldman (doing an American accent worthy of a 1940s Bowery Boy movies), turn to a brilliant scientist (Tommy Lee Jones — you know you're in trouble when Tommy Lee Jones is playing a scientist), who is working on an experiment that can transfer the memories of a dead man into the brain of a living one. Only problem is, the living recipient has to have a rare brain disorder involving an under-developed frontal lobe, and the only person with those requirements is a psychopathic prisoner name Jericho (Kevin Costner).</p>

<p>Oh, this plan can't possibly go wrong!</p>

<p>Needless to say, Jericho is soon free and terrorizing the streets of London. Kevin Costner obviously enjoyed the hell out of playing a character whose most animalistic needs are concern number one. Jericho doesn't just order some food when hungry. Instead he grunts, points at a picture, and then grabs whatever looks closest to it from the plate of someone who's already eating. If he wants a car, he punches the driver in the face and takes it. Costner playing against type is certainly the most entertaining he's been in years; it's just too bad the movie surrounding him is utter garbage.</p>

<p>There are so many worthy actors in <em>Criminal</em>, I can only wonder if they started with a script that wasn't terrible. Why else would Gal Gadot — <a href="http://sfist.com/2016/03/25/thank_god_for_wonder_woman_batman_v.php">Wonder Woman herself!</a> — agree to play a role that isn't much more than her cowering while various men — Jericho included — threaten to kill her and her daughter? Antje Traue, another great actress, plays the girlfriend of the villain, but at least she gets to kick some ass now and then.</p>

<p>In any other movie,<em></em> it might be a surprise that the star you'd assume is the leading man, Ryan Reynolds, dies within the first 15 minutes. But nothing about <em>Criminal</em> is surprising in any way. In fact, the chases, explosions, and graphic fights were so standard I had to close my eyes a few times just because I knew complete and total darkness would be far less boring.</p>

<p><iframe allowfullscreen frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3bvnoqsvY-M" width="640"></iframe></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[CODEPINK Dares to Touch Condi's Hair]]></title><description><![CDATA[It seems <a href="http://www.codepink4peace.org/">CODEPINK</a>,  a female-based grassroots pro-peace (and judging by the photographs, anti-conditioner) movement, recently got all up in <a href="http:/...]]></description><link>https://sfist.com/2007/10/24/codepiink_dares/</link><guid isPermaLink="false">5c24263d44ad066cdcf3cdd9</guid><category><![CDATA[SF News]]></category><category><![CDATA[Bay Area]]></category><category><![CDATA[Capitol Hill]]></category><category><![CDATA[condi]]></category><category><![CDATA[Condi Rice]]></category><category><![CDATA[Condoleezza Rice]]></category><category><![CDATA[criminal]]></category><category><![CDATA[Gossip]]></category><category><![CDATA[hair]]></category><category><![CDATA[police]]></category><category><![CDATA[SF Politics]]></category><category><![CDATA[racist]]></category><category><![CDATA[Rice]]></category><category><![CDATA[the police]]></category><category><![CDATA[touch]]></category><category><![CDATA[war]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Brock Keeling]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 24 Oct 2007 16:32:37 GMT</pubDate><media:content url="https://img.sfist.com/assets_c/2009/04/entry130197_thumb-thumb-640xauto-166188.jpg" medium="image"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<img src="https://img.sfist.com/assets_c/2009/04/entry130197_thumb-thumb-640xauto-166188.jpg" alt="CODEPINK Dares to Touch Condi's Hair"><p><a href="http://jezebel.com">Jezebel</a> already saved us the trouble from making a horrifying, insensitive, racist, and un-Bay Area comment about never touching a black woman's hair. Ever. (<a href="http://jezebel.com/gossip/snap-judgment/condi-rice-to-anti+war-protester-never-mess-with-a-black-womans-hair-314699.php">"Condi Rice To Anti-War Protester: Never Mess With A Black Woman's Hair"</a> -- read it while shaking your head, with a gentle sigh.)</p>

<p>It seems <a href="http://www.codepink4peace.org/">CODEPINK</a>,  a female-based grassroots pro-peace (and judging by the photographs, anti-conditioner) movement, recently got all up in <a href="http://sfist.com/2007/08/10/condi.php">Condoleezza Rice's</a> face at Capitol Hill today. This protester, sporting fake-blood smeared hands, got a little too close to Condi, shouting "war criminal!" in her face before she was pushed away and snapped up by the police. <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSN24604518">Four other CODEPINK protesters were arrested</a>. </p>

<p>We're not sure how she managed to get so near the diva, but well done, frayed-hair lady. Well done.</p>

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