Uber to require selfie security check from drivers
The feature, which begins rolling out to US cities on Friday, uses Microsoft Cognitive Services to reduce fraud and give riders an extra sense of security.
Uber says Microsoft's feature instantly compares the selfie to the one corresponding with the account on file. If the two photos don't match, the account is temporarily blocked while Uber looks into the situation.
"We're constantly developing and testing new solutions to prevent and reduce risks," Uber wrote in a blog post. "During our pilot of Real-Time ID Check over the past few months, the majority of mismatches were due to unclear profile photos. And more than 99 percent of drivers were ultimately verified."
Uber, the world's most valuable private company, has experienced a long list of controversies from its drivers and executive staff. However in recent months, Uber has been making an effort to keep riders safer with new security features and details on how it background checks its drivers.