After Delhi Rape, Uber to Consider Biometrics for Drivers

Reuters: Online taxi service Uber Technologies Inc, which had a driver accused of rape in New Delhi, says it is exploring adding new methods to verify drivers' credentials and make its service safer.

Uber has started research and development on biometrics and voice verification to build tools for enhanced driver screening, Phillip Cardenas, the company's global safety, head wrote in a blog.

The start-up is also exploring new ways to screen drivers, including polygraph tests and adding its own processes on top of commercial license verifications.

"Of course, no background check can predict future behavior and no technology can yet fully prevent bad actions," Cardenas said. "But our responsibility is to leverage every smart tool at our disposal."

In the United States, Uber's background-verification process includes checks of court records going back seven years; a multi-state criminal database; and the National Sex Offender Registry, according to Uber policy posted on its website. Activities that disqualify potential drivers include sexual offenses, violent crimes and gun-related infractions.

But that is not the case internationally, where records are not always kept for the same categories of data as in the United States, or treated with rigor.

The San Francisco-based firm also said it was building safety incident response teams to provide round-the-clock support.

Uber has been dogged by controversy surrounding its aggressive approach to local governments and traditional taxi services.

The company's business practices have come under scrutiny, with some customers alleging privacy violations, as it has grown rapidly around the world in recent months.

France, Spain and Thailand have banned some or all Uber services. The company's services have also been banned in New Delhi following the rape allegation.