Uber Now Require Drivers To Take Selfies As A Safety Measure

Uber today has introduced a feature with the intention to upload a “new layer” of safety this is targeted to drivers.

Real-Time ID Check will implore drivers to take a selfie occasionally before going on line with a purpose to make sure that the driver using the app matches the account the company has on document. in step with Uber, this protects drivers from fraud, theft and dangers since only the registered driver-partner can use the app.

This feature additionally protects the passengers, according to the company. it's going to assure that the riders which are picked are driven by the right person on the wheel.

This is how it works: Drivers will be asked to periodically take a selfie before accepting a trip, that's then in comparison to the one on record and if the two snap shots don’t suit, the account is temporarily blocked for investigation. Checking out the technology behind the feature, it makes use of Microsoft’s Face API that hinges in the Face detect and Face verify APIs to identify and verify the drivers.

This feature became first tested inside the US last year in September and it's been rolling out to several countries slowly ever in view that. In Africa, South Africa and Egypt were given the update in March this year.

At some stage in the pilot run done in the US, seemingly 99% of the drivers were in the end verified and the majority of mismatches were due to “unclear profile snap shots.”

So if you see your Uber driver taking a selfie from today, don’t be alarmed as it will be in your own good, as Uber puts it.