Uber tightens security in Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya

Uber has rolled out Real-Time ID for drivers in a bid to tighten security of passengers in Nigeria, Ghana and Kenya. The technology prompts driver-partners to periodically share a selfie in the app before going online and accepting rides. Uber then compares this photo to the one corresponding to the account on file.

The General Manager for Uber Sub-Saharan Africa, Alon Lits,  explaining the process said, “During our pilot of Real-Time ID Check over the past few months in South Africa, we learned that more than 99 per cent of drivers were verified.”
“This new feature makes sense as a simple action of taking a selfie is a language that people all over the world understand. This extra security feature does not inconvenience driver-partners, which is extremely important for us.”

Real-time ID check assures riders that when they are picked up, the right person is behind the wheel. This prevents fraud and protects drivers’ accounts from being compromised. An important part of safety is verifying that the driver-partner who is picking up riders is the same person who underwent Uber’s screening process.

He said, “The real-time ID works on facial recognition technology and begins by identifying the drivers face, then it builds a feature set by focusing on key features, and finally, compares the feature set to the validated photo Uber has on file.
If the two photos do not match, the driver’s account is temporarily blocked while Uber investigates the situation. Riders can feel safe knowing that their driver has been verified and driver-partners can rest assured that a fraudster is not using their account”

The feature helps Uber to ensure in real time that the driver-partner using the app matches the account it has on file. Given that verification takes only a few seconds to complete, this feature proactively and efficiently builds more security into the app.
The software feature is a result of various cutting edge technical solutions being tried and tested in face, voice, and gesture recognition.