Confidential Treatment Requested by Maplebear Inc.
Pursuant to 17 C.F.R. Section 200.83
If customers, retailers, brands, shoppers, or other third parties using Instacart engage in, or are subject to, criminal, violent, inappropriate, or dangerous activity that results in major safety incidents, it could have an adverse impact on our reputation, business, financial condition, and results of operations.
We are not able to control or predict the actions of customers, retailers, brands, shoppers, and other third parties, either during their use of Instacart or otherwise, and we may be unable to protect or provide a safe environment for constituents on Instacart as a result of criminal, violent, inappropriate, or dangerous actions by any such parties. Such actions have historically resulted, and may in the future result, in injuries, property damage, or loss of life for customers, retailers, brands, shoppers, and other third parties, as applicable, or business interruption, brand and reputational damage, or significant liabilities for us. Certain events, including incidents of criminal behavior, episodes of civil unrest, or the imposition of curfews, may impact retailers, which in turn may impact the ability of shoppers to provide services to customers through Instacart. With respect to shoppers, although we administer certain qualification processes for shoppers on Instacart, including one or more general identification, criminal background, department of motor vehicle, and/or motor vehicle record checks on shoppers through third-party service providers prior to engagement, these qualification processes and background checks may not expose all potentially relevant information and are limited in certain jurisdictions according to national and local laws. Moreover, our third-party service providers may fail to conduct such background checks adequately or disclose information that could be relevant to a determination of eligibility. We have in the past received, and we expect to continue to receive, complaints from shoppers, customers, and other third parties, as well as actual or threatened legal action against us related to shopper and customer conduct.
If shoppers or individuals impersonating shoppers or customers engage in criminal activity, fraud, including identify theft, use of stolen or fraudulent credit card data, misconduct, or inappropriate conduct or use Instacart as a conduit for criminal activity, or we fail to identify or detect, or experience delays in identifying or detecting such activity or events, our offerings may not be viewed as safe, and we may receive negative press coverage as a result, which would adversely impact our brand, reputation, and business. We have in the past experienced, and may experience in the future, inappropriate conduct and criminal activity by shoppers, including fraudulent uses of credit cards as well as our payment card programs. Under current credit card practices, we may be liable for orders facilitated on Instacart with fraudulent credit card data, even if the associated financial institution approved the credit card transaction. Our failure to adequately detect or prevent fraudulent transactions could harm our reputation or brand, result in litigation or regulatory action, and lead to expenses that could adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations. If other criminal, inappropriate, or other negative incidents occur due to the conduct of customers, retailers, brands, shoppers, or other third parties, our ability to attract customers, retailers, brands, and shoppers may be harmed, and our reputation, business, and financial results could be adversely affected.
Public reporting or disclosure of reported safety information, including information about safety incidents reportedly occurring on or related to Instacart, whether generated by us or third parties, such as media or regulators, may adversely impact our business and financial results.
Further, we may be subject to claims of significant liability based on traffic accidents, deaths, injuries, or other incidents that are caused by shoppers or third parties while using Instacart, or even when shoppers or third parties are not actively using Instacart. On a smaller scale, we may face litigation related to claims by shoppers for the actions of customers or third parties. We carry insurance for such incidents, including automobile liability and general liability insurance, although such policies do not cover all claims to which we are exposed and are not always adequate to indemnify us for all liability. Although shoppers are required to carry their own insurance policies, including automobile insurance, they may fail to acquire adequate coverage or any coverage at all. As a result, we may be subject to liability for incidents involving our shoppers that our insurance policies may not cover or the cost of our policies may increase. Our automobile liability and general liability insurance policies do not cover all claims to which we are exposed and are not always adequate to indemnify us for all liability. These incidents may subject us to liability and negative publicity, which would increase our operating costs and adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, and future prospects. Even if these claims
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