BUENOS AIRES – Argentina’s Personal Information Protection Administration is investigating whether U.S.-based ride-sharing service Uber is complying with laws to protect privacy and personal information, officials said Monday.

The agency asked Uber to provide details on the information it collects from customers, how that information is protected and where the information is stored within 10 days.

Buenos Aires officials on Friday ordered Uber to take down its Web site and applications in Argentina amid the controversy over the ride-sharing service’s entry into the public transportation business.

“In light of recent events, of which the public is aware, the administration opened an investigation of Uber’s operations,” Personal Information Protection Administration director Eduardo Bertoni said.

“We are waiting for them to respond to the requirements we set out in an effort to examine which course of action to take,” Bertoni said in a statement.

Uber began operating in Argentina on April 12, unleashing a storm of protests by taxi drivers, who contend the ride-sharing app is illegal.

Uber, founded in the United States in 2009, is a mobile app that enables users to get a ride with a private driver, paying with a credit card for the trip, and offering rates that are usually lower than those of taxi cabs.

The service, which has been controversial in countries like France and Spain, where it was declared illegal, is already available in Latin America, operating in cities in Colombia, Brazil, Peru, Uruguay and Chile.