Uber’s Plan To Enforce Mask Policies For Riders? Selfies

Uber has a plan to deal with customers that refuse to comply with its face mask rules. Soon, riders who have been reported by drivers for not wearing masks will be required to submit selfies so that the company can verify their mask, the company confirmed on Tuesday.

This system has been in place for Uber drivers since May, when the company began requiring all drivers to wear masks. The company will start implementing the feature in the U.S. later this month, followed by rollouts in Latin America and elsewhere soon after.

“We firmly believe that accountability is a two-way street,” Uber's global head of safety product, Sachin Kansal, wrote. “That’s why we’re expanding the same technology to riders, too. If a driver reports to us that a rider wasn’t wearing a mask, the rider will be required to take a selfie with their face covered before they’re able to take another trip with Uber.”

Once a rider submits a photo and isn’t reported by the driver again, they will not be prompted to take another photo for their next ride. Repeated violations of the mask policy will potentially lead to account deactivation, but Uber has been cagey with these sorts of details.

The technology being employed by Uber to detect masks in photos has reportedly been optimized to prevent users from duping it. Kansal explained to CNN that, for instance, it can tell the difference between a real mask and a rider simply covering their face with a hand.

Uber intends to keep its mask policy in effect indefinitely.