Ride-hailing app, Uber, has told The Kenyan Wall Street that the onboarding process of new drivers in the platform is verified by an independent third party to filter away individuals with ulterior motives.
In the wake of the anti-government protests over the past few weeks, Kenyans on social media have suspected that police officers or government agents have opened accounts on ride-hailing apps. By pretending to be legitimate cab drivers, they can source information from clients taking rides by sparking conversations surrounding the recent protests. Others have suspected that some legitimate cab drivers have rented out their cars to cops for this purpose, igniting public concern.However, Uber has sought to quell these claims by stating that the company’s policy guidelines provide a template for verifying real drivers. The “Real-Time ID Check” requires drivers to take a ‘selfie’ at random intervals. These selfies are verified against the company’s database using facial recognition technology.
“Safety is a key priority at Uber and it is important to note that it is difficult for a driver to sign up and start driving on the same day due to the nature of our thorough onboarding process, which includes two background checks and two vehicle inspections,” said the Uber spokesperson.
Moreover, the two-factor authorization ensures drivers owning an account cannot log into another device without keying in an OTP number. Drivers found in violation of these guidelines are struck off the database.
“We have a zero-tolerance policy towards account sharing as it is in clear violation of our Community Guidelines and undermines the trust in which Uber has built over the years,” Uber stated.
There have been reported cases of abductions of individuals believed to be influential in the anti-government protests. These incidents may force many citizens to distrust legitimate cab drivers and even lead to a total shunning of these ride options.
Cops going undercover as drivers is not a new occurrence, neither is it a local phenomenon. In countries like the United States and Germany, investigative efforts that require police officers to play as other people have roused debates over whether this is a violation of civil liberties.
Some people feel that undercover police work is inevitable and probably even necessary to nab criminals before they wreak havoc. However, for privately-owned businesses like Uber, this can be detrimental as it diminishes the trust clients expect them to uphold.
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