There was a time when the blue check mark was only for the likes of Twitter, but not anymore. In an apparent effort to stop fraud aimed at its drivers, Uber has announced new rider verification mechanisms which are optional—for now.
On Tuesday, Uber published a blog explaining its verification efforts. “We’re dedicated to building a platform based on trust between riders and drivers,” the company said. “To support this, we’re launching new rider verification measures designed to help everyone feel more safe and secure.” Uber drivers have been targeted by scams, though it’s unclear how widespread this problem actually is.
According to Uber, riders will now be verified by its systems, which will cross check the information a rider has already uploaded (stuff like names and phone numbers) against third-party databases to ensure they are who they say they are. If, for whatever reason, you can’t be verified in this way, Uber allows users to upload a photo of a government ID and a selfie, which are then swept into its analysis. Both the ID and the selfie are verified by a “trusted third party.” None of this information is shared with drivers, Uber says. Instead, the driver merely sees whether you’re verified or not.
How is Uber planning on protecting the new data that it’s asking you to cough up? The site’s Q&A merely states: “All personal data is safeguarded when stored and transmitted, including by using secure encryption.” That’s nice, but it’s also not super comforting given that Uber has been severely hacked at least three times, and some of its affiliates have also suffered breaches.
Again, not every person will have to upload a selfie or an ID to be verified but, for those that do, Uber plans to hold onto their information for quite a long time. Indeed, the picture of your personal ID will remain in its systems for an entire year. The selfie you provided will be retained for three years. Why the company needs to keep a KGB-style dossier on you for that length of time after you’ve already been “verified” is unknown. We reached out to Uber for clarification and will update this post if it responds.
Uber has also made it known that it may share your personal information with law enforcement if the cops happen to ask for it. “In accordance with our law enforcement guidelines, Uber will disclose account information to US law enforcement where required by legal process in accordance with the Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA) and other legal authorities, or in an emergency situation as outlined in our guidelines,” the site states.
Again, all of this is optional, but you can obviously imagine a scenario in which you miss out on rides if you aren’t verified. The safest thing for most people to do will be to submit to Uber’s demands. This sort of surveillance is highly normalized today, though you can only imagine what cab riders from the 1990s might have thought if one day the Yellow Cab Company told them they’d have to fork over a government ID, a selfie, their phone number, their banking information, and the geographic itineraries of all of their rides if they ever wanted to step into a vehicle.
