Cognitive Scaffold

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MENTAL MODEL · M1029

Greyballing

Greyballing
TechnicalHigh supportCybersecurity
Included
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Version 1.0.0 · Updated 2026-07-30

CORE DEFINITION

A tool developed by Uber that showed fake vehicle locations and ghost cars to individuals identified as 'regulatory enforcement officers' or 'malicious users', thereby evading regulation.

SCAFFOLDING EFFECT

psychology

Reduce cognitive load

Defensive disguise. If your competitors or malicious attackers are monitoring you, do not directly block them (this would reveal that you have detected them). Instead, show them a 'greyball' interface (fake data or dynamics) to make them waste time on incorrect information.

anchor

Anchor fast decisions

'Greyball' in business/policy can refer to a targeted exclusion technique (e.g., ride-hailing apps using 'greyball' algorithms in certain areas to direct specific users/regulators to different services), and also broadly refers to 'ambiguous operations/objects between black and white'. As a model, it represents a gray means of 'superficial compliance, substantive differential treatment'.

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Source support: Explicit

  • link
    en.wikipedia.orghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Controversies_involving_UberZH · Explicit
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