Uber has rolled out a new security feature for its app, Disguised Phone Numbers. What it does is keep the passenger's and driver's phone numbers private from each other, allowing both to communicate freely while still cutting down on instances of harassment.
For communication purposes, the driver and passenger are connected through an anonymised third-party line. The new feature is in line with Uber's other efforts to make their service safer, after a spike in harassment and rape incidents committed by Uber drivers in the past year. Uber now provides information about the driver, including his or her photo, name and rating, as well as information about the license plate number and type of vehicle before the customer's ride begins. They also require their drivers to, besides obviously having a valid commercial driver’s license, submit to police verification, an independent background check, as well as have their own commercial liability insurance.
