Uber develops system for categorizing sexual assault claims

Uber released a new report Monday, created in partnership with the National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC) and the Urban Institute, that outlined a new "taxonomy" for categorizing incidents of sexual harassment, misconduct and assault.

Why it matters: Underreporting of incidents and differences in definitions make it difficult to collect data on sexual misconduct. Uber's hope is that a standardized taxonomy — which categorizes 21 types of misconduct ranging from "staring and leering" to "non-consensual sexual penetration" — will help companies respond more effectively to allegations of abuse. Uber and its main competitor Lyft have taken similar steps this year to make it easier to report incidents of sexual assault and harassment, like removing a requirement for mandatory arbitration.