Uber’s ‘Greyball’ Draws Ire for Blocking Government Stings

An Uber Technologies Inc. program used to counteract government officials attempting to conduct “sting” operations is drawing scrutiny amid a flurry of scandals plaguing the ride-hailing company.

Uber said the effort is meant to enforce violations of its terms of service agreement that customers accept when they sign up to use the app. The company said its prevention program, known as Violation of Terms of Service or Greyball, can be used to block officials.

“This program denies ride requests to fraudulent users who are violating our terms of service—whether that’s people aiming to physically harm drivers, competitors looking to disrupt ...