Uber to use driver selfies to enhance security

Uber's new ID-check system will require drivers to confirm their identity with the ride-hailing company at the start of a shift by taking a selfie, which is then crossed reference to the driver's file photo leveraging Microsoft's cloud. SAN FRANCISCO -- Uber is rolling out a new feature Friday that will require drivers to confirm their identities via a selfie photo before each shift. Real-Time ID Check is aimed at both preventing fraudulent use of a driver's account and providing consumers with a greater degree of confidence in the ride-sharing company. "Driver account sharing or theft is a low-frequency problem right now, but when it happens it's a high-severity thing for us so it makes sense to put our security resources on it," Uber chief security officer Joe Sullivan tells USA TODAY. U.S. aims to tame'Wild West' of self-driving cars "We've been testing this new system with tens of thousands of drivers in the past months, and 99% of the time the photos match up," he says, adding that often the few rejected photos "were all about bad lighting."