An Uber executive commented Friday that he thought it would make sense for Uber to hire opposition researchers to look into the personal lives of journalists to "give the media a taste of its own medicine," according to a report from Buzzfeed late Monday. The comments were made at an off-the-record dinner as the Uber executive, Senior Vice President of Business Emil Michael, expressed frustration with the way he felt Uber is unfairly attacked in the media.

The Buzzfeed editor who attended the dinner and witnessed the comments was not told by any Uber official until afterward that the event was meant to be off the record. During the dinner, Michael specifically attacked PandoDaily editor Sarah Lacy for writing an editorial accusing Uber of "sexism and misogyny" for running a promotion featuring "hot chick" drivers. Michael said Lacy should be held "'personally responsible' for any woman who followed her lead in deleting Uber and was then sexually assaulted," according to Buzzfeed. Michael suggested there was "a particular and very specific claim" that Uber opposition researchers could prove about her life.

From a privacy perspective, Uber has not always shown restraint with its customers. The company made news in October for displaying a real-time activity map of thirty of its "notable users" at a launch party in Chicago. The map was part of Uber's "God View," an administrative tool that lets the company see a map of all active Uber cars and customers who have called an Uber. One of the users on the map found out he was being tracked when an attendee of the party began texting him his Uber car's exact location.

In a statement Monday to Buzzfeed, Michael said,