The Blue Check Mark Is Coming to Uber

There was a clip erstwhile the bluish cheque people was lone for the likes of Twitter, but not anymore. In an evident effort to halt fraud aimed astatine its drivers, Uber has announced caller rider verification mechanisms which are optional—for now.

On Tuesday, Uber published a blog explaining its verification efforts. “We’re dedicated to gathering a level based connected spot betwixt riders and drivers,” the institution said. “To enactment this, we’re launching caller rider verification measures designed to assistance everyone consciousness much harmless and secure.” Uber drivers person been targeted by scams, though it’s unclear however wide this occupation really is.

According to Uber, riders volition present beryllium verified by its systems, which volition transverse cheque the accusation a rider has already uploaded (stuff similar names and telephone numbers) against third-party databases to guarantee they are who they accidental they are. If, for immoderate reason, you can’t beryllium verified successful this way, Uber allows users to upload a photograph of a authorities ID and a selfie, which are past swept into its analysis. Both the ID and the selfie are verified by a “trusted 3rd party.” None of this accusation is shared with drivers, Uber says. Instead, the operator simply sees whether you’re verified oregon not.

How is Uber readying connected protecting the caller information that it’s asking you to cough up? The site’s Q&A simply states: “All idiosyncratic information is safeguarded erstwhile stored and transmitted, including by utilizing unafraid encryption.” That’s nice, but it’s besides not ace comforting fixed that Uber has been severely hacked astatine slightest three times, and immoderate of its affiliates have besides suffered breaches.

Again, not each idiosyncratic volition person to upload a selfie oregon an ID to beryllium verified but, for those that do, Uber plans to clasp onto their accusation for rather a agelong time. Indeed, the representation of your idiosyncratic ID volition stay successful its systems for an full year. The selfie you provided volition beryllium retained for three years. Why the institution needs to support a KGB-style dossier connected you for that magnitude of clip aft you’ve already been “verified” is unknown. We reached retired to Uber for clarification and volition update this station if it responds.

Uber has besides made it known that it whitethorn stock your idiosyncratic accusation with instrumentality enforcement if the cops hap to inquire for it. “In accordance with our law enforcement guidelines, Uber volition disclose relationship accusation to US instrumentality enforcement wherever required by ineligible process successful accordance with the Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA) and different ineligible authorities, oregon successful an exigency concern arsenic outlined successful our guidelines,” the tract states.

Again, each of this is optional, but you tin evidently ideate a script successful which you miss retired connected rides if you aren’t verified. The safest happening for astir radical to bash volition beryllium to taxable to Uber’s demands. This benignant of surveillance is highly normalized today, though you tin lone ideate what cab riders from the 1990s mightiness person thought if 1 time the Yellow Cab Company told them they’d person to fork implicit a authorities ID, a selfie, their telephone number, their banking information, and the geographic itineraries of each of their rides if they ever wanted to measurement into a vehicle.