Uber appoints first security chief to stave off criticism of its security practices

In a bid to stave off criticism of its security practices, Uber has appointed Joe Sullivan, former Facebook security chief, as its first chief security officer.

Travis Kalanick, CEO of Uber, explained in a blog post, that the move was an attempt to "redefine" and "strengthen" physical as well as data security in the location-based world, PC World reported.

He said that the company's aim was to redefine what it meant to be a "world-class," "people-centric" protector of privacy.

The names and license plate numbers of around 50,000 Uber drivers were compromised in a security breach last year. An Uber driver is facing rape charges in India for sexually assaulting a female passenger in the capital city of New Delhi.

Kalanick said in his post, that Uber was more than an app, and had become a critical part of the infrastructure of many cities. He added that the company was a bridge between "bits" and "atoms" due to its presence in the cyberspace and on city streets at the same time.

Meanwhile, Sullivan said in another post that he was looking forward to bringing the best practices he had learnt along the way to Uber in order to bridge the gap between the digital and physical world.