To provide customers with a greater sense of confidence in Uber, the company has now introduced a real-time ID check for its drivers. Using Microsoft’s Cognitive Services, drives will have to verify themselves by taking a selfie.
How this works:
According to Uber, the drivers need to take a selfie in their Uber app before they can accept any rides. The application then uses Microsoft Cognitive Services to compare the selfie with the original picture of the Uber driver, which takes merely few seconds. Once verified, drivers are able to accept a ride and continue their job.
Why this ID check is needed?
Real-Time ID Check prevents fraud and protects drivers’ accounts from being compromised. It also protects riders by building another layer of accountability into the app to ensure the right person is behind the wheel.
Uber’s Chief Security Officer, Joe Sullivan says that “Driver account sharing or theft is a low-frequency problem right now, but when it happens it’s a high-severity thing for us so it makes sense to put our security resources on it. We’re constantly developing and testing new solutions to prevent and reduce risks.”
In case drivers have some trouble verifying themselves, Uber will temporarily suspend the driver, and start investigating into the issue. Uber has also recently begun using GPS and smartphone technology to detect and prevent dangerous driving behavior such as fast acceleration and hard braking.
