Taxi services Lyft and Ubersaid they have begun working with the company HireRight and will share data on drivers accused of sexually harassing customers so that they can be banned from both platforms.
Other similar apps have the ability to connect to the data-sharing system, but only if they agree to the same rules that Uber and Lyft agreed to and if they use the same program that Uber created in partnership with the National Sexual Violence Resource Center and the Urban Institute in 2018.
See also: Uber accused of asking "pretentious questions" to drivers
“We want to share this information and hopefully in the near future with other companies so that our partners in this space can be informed and make decisions about their own platforms to keep those platforms safe,” said Jennifer Brandenburger, head of policy development at Lyft.
Scott Berkowitz, president and founder of the nonprofit Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network, praised the companies for the collaboration.
“Uber and Lyft have demonstrated thoughtful leadership in the Ride-hailing Industry Safety Program,” he said. “By putting competition aside, they are putting users first and building a safer community for everyone.”
Uber and Lyft have been the subject of criticism and legal action over how they handled driver harassment cases on their platforms. A 2019 complaint filed by 14 anonymous plaintiffs alleged that Lyft had hired drivers without first conducting background checks.
See also: Uber: Acquires alcohol delivery startup “Drizly” for $1.1 billion!
In late 2019, Uber released its first report on sexual assaults linked to its service, which found that it received 5,981 allegations of sexual assault between 2017 and 2018. However, the report faced criticism from the California Public Service Commissionafter Uber refused to hand over private data about alleged victims. As a result, Lyft said it had decided to stop releasing its own safety report because it said the commission’s recent actions put victims’ privacy at risk.
See also: Twitch on sexual harassment allegations by streamers
In recent years, companies have introduced a number of policies and features to their apps aimed at enhancing the safety of drivers and passengers. Uber’s app now includes an emergency button, improved controls, and new technology that detects potential errors or unexpected long stops during a ride. Lyft’s app offers contact protection, the option to share trip information with a friend, and a “Get Emergency Help” feature in which security company ADT contacts law enforcement.
The companies said the data-sharing arrangement would be based only on the driver’s deactivation. And that information about the victim would not be shared in the secure database. “We will share the deactivation database, as well as location information about the driver so that other companies can find that person on their platform, nothing else,” said Tony West, Uber’s chief legal counsel.
