Woman banned from Uber over 'offensive' first name

• Published date: 24 April 2024
• Author: JERUSALEM POST STAFF
• Publication title: Jerusalem Post, The: Web Edition Articles (Israel)

The woman, whose full name 'Swastika Chandra' translates to 'good luck' in Sanskrit, reportedly grew up in Fiji where the name is common

Swastika told the site that she was trying to order food in October last year but the app banned her because she had used a "potentially offensive" word.

"I was putting in an order for food one afternoon and went to the payment stage and this pop-up came up saying, 'Your first name is in violation and you need to change your name on the app,'" she told A Current Affair (ACA).

Speaking on ACA, Swastika said that she understood her name was associated with Adolf Hitler, the Nazi Party and the Holocaust but that she would not change it as she was proud of it.

"They don't know that the Hindus used it for thousands of years before Hitler used it in the wrong way," she said.

After a long five month wait, and intervention from The Hindu Council and NSW Attorney-General, Swastika was allowed to return to Uber where she could continue enjoying takeaways.

The NSW Jewish Board of Deputies also backed Chandra.

Uber's response to the incident

In a statement to news.com.au, Uber said it had apologized to Chandra and acknowledged its review of the matter took longer...