Uber Introduces Real-Time ID in Nigeria, Ghana and Kenya to Boost Security for Users

In a world where security boost is increasingly necessary, Uber Technologies Inc., the ride-hailing company, popularly known as Uber, has introduced a new security measure called Real-Time ID for its operations in Nigeria, Ghana and Kenya.

According to Businessday, the security measure which is a joint effort of Uber Technologies and Microsoft has been introduced since September 2016 and was introduced into the South African operations for trial earlier this year. After attaining a 99% success rate, it is now set to be rolled out to the rest of Africa. The 1% failure rate has been adduced to unclear profile photos and bad lighting during the taking selfies.

See how it works here:

The recently beleaguered company operates in about 633 cities worldwide. It was founded in 2009 by Travis Kalanick and Garrett Camp and has a revenue of $6.5 Billion. In a statement by its Chief Security Officer, Joe Sullivan, Uber explained that the Real-Time ID security measure was put in place to address a low frequency, but high severity issue, where drivers accounts are being compromised. So, Uber customers can now relax in the knowledge that the driver has a checked profile, while their drivers can be assured that their accounts are safe.

The Real-Time is another measure of safety added to the belt of Uber, in addition to sending details of the drivers to potential customers, to create a little familiarity and trust. The others are the confirmation notification which enables riders to receive their driver’s name, photo and vehicle information to ensure they get into the right car with the right driver. There is also the easy ways for people to share their journey on a map with friends and family.