DoorDash Steps Up Driver ID Checks After Complaints
Increased Efforts to Crack Down on Unauthorized Account Sharing
DoorDash will require its drivers to verify their identity more often as part of a larger effort to crack down on unauthorized account sharing. The San Francisco delivery company has been under pressure to ensure its drivers are operating legally, following a flood of complaints of dangerous driving from cities.
Background Checks and Identity Verification
Before U.S. drivers can make DoorDash deliveries, they must verify their identity with a driver’s license or other government-issued identification and upload a selfie that matches their identification photo. They also must submit to a background check, which requires a Social Security number. However, the company has found that some drivers are getting around these requirements by sharing accounts with authorized users.
New System to Flag Potential Unauthorized Account Access
DoorDash has developed an advanced machine learning system that can flag potential unauthorized account access, including login anomalies and suspicious activity. If the company detects a problem, it will require the driver to re-verify their identity before they can make more deliveries. The new system has been introduced in Los Angeles, Denver, Seattle, and other cities and will roll out more widely next year.
Real-Time Identity Checks
DoorDash has begun requiring some drivers to complete real-time identity checks immediately after they complete a delivery. Previously, drivers were occasionally asked to re-verify their identity before or after a shift. This new system aims to ensure that drivers are who they claim to be and are not sharing accounts with unauthorized users.
Account Sharing and Illegal Immigration
Some federal lawmakers have demanded that DoorDash and other delivery apps do a better job of keeping illegal immigrants off their platforms. Republican U.S. Sens. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, Mike Braun of Indiana, and Ted Budd of North Carolina sent letters to delivery companies in April asking them to crack down on account sharing. The letter stated that “these illegal immigrants are delivering food directly to consumers’ doors without ever having undergone a background check and often without even using their real names.”
Conclusion
DoorDash’s new measures aim to increase transparency and accountability among its drivers. By requiring real-time identity checks and flagging potential unauthorized account access, the company hopes to reduce the number of shared accounts and ensure that its drivers are operating legally. While the company won’t estimate how many drivers are using shared accounts, it claims that its safeguards are effective.
FAQs
Q: Why is DoorDash requiring real-time identity checks?
A: DoorDash is requiring real-time identity checks to ensure that drivers are who they claim to be and are not sharing accounts with unauthorized users.
Q: How does DoorDash verify driver identities?
A: DoorDash verifies driver identities by requiring them to upload a selfie that matches their identification photo and submit to a background check, which requires a Social Security number.
Q: What is DoorDash doing to prevent account sharing?
A: DoorDash has developed an advanced machine learning system that can flag potential unauthorized account access, including login anomalies and suspicious activity. If the company detects a problem, it will require the driver to re-verify their identity before they can make more deliveries.
Q: Why are some lawmakers demanding that DoorDash crack down on account sharing?
A: Lawmakers are demanding that DoorDash crack down on account sharing because it allows illegal immigrants to work for the company without undergoing background checks and using their real names.
