Background checks failed to detect multiple Uber drivers with criminal convictions, including a convicted murderer, prosecutors in California claim.
As CNet reports, passenger safety has been an ongoing concern for the ride-sharing app.
The prosecutors allege Uber’s background checks failed to pick up 25 drivers with criminal records in the state, including for murder and assault.
A lawsuit was filed by California district attorneys at the end of last year claiming Uber was misleading its users over the safety of the service and the quality of the background checks.
One driver was convicted of second-degree murder in 1982, was released on parole in 2008, and has now given of 1000 rides, according to the prosecutors.
“Uber’s process cannot ensure that the information in the background check report is actually associated with the applicant since it does not use a unique biometric identifier such as a fingerprint,” the prosecutors say.
Uber replied to the allegations in a statement to the Wall Street Journal.
“We disagree that the LiveScan process used by taxi companies is an inherently better system for screening drivers than our background checks,” the statement says.
“The reality is that neither is 100% foolproof.”
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Denham Sadler is a former editor of StartupSmart. He was previously a journalist at the publication and has worked as a freelancer for the Guardian, the Saturday Paper and the ABC. In his spare time he likes puns and jaffles.
