Uber to implement driver selfies to increase safety
Uber launched a new safety feature in San Francisco last week which will require drivers to confirm their identities via a selfie photo before each shift. Real-Time ID Check is aimed at both preventing fraudulent use of a driver's account and providing consumers with a greater degree of confidence. "Driver account sharing or theft is a low-frequency problem right now, but when it happens it's a high-severity thing for us so it makes sense to put our security resources on it," Uber chief security officer Joe Sullivan stated. Once the selfie is taken, the image is then processed using Microsoft Cognitive Services, which uses facial recognition software to confirm the driver's identity.

Uber said Friday it is stepping up its security measures to require its drivers to share selfies before using its app.

The ride-hailing giant announced it is partnering with Microsoft in an effort to prevent fraud and protect its drivers' accounts.

To increase accountability among drivers, the app will use a feature perfected by Microsoft Cognitive Services called Real-Time ID Check to match selfies to profile pictures associated with drivers' accounts.

In just a few seconds, Microsoft's face-recognition technology cross-references the photos and verifies the identity of the driver using the account. If the photos don't match, the account in question is temporarily suspended while Uber investigates the problem.

Andrew Shuman, corporate vice president of Microsoft's products for technology and research, told CNBC's "Squawk Box" that the facial recognition algorithm has the power to recognize a driver even after a major change, like shaving a beard. It even prompts drivers who wear glasses to remove them for a more accurate verification. In the case of more dramatic changes, Uber may require a new profile picture.

Uber reported in a blog post on its website that 99 percent of its drivers were successfully verified during an extensive testing period earlier this year. Most of the unverified 1 percent resulted from unclear profile photos.

"Our goal here was to kind of address a low frequency but high severity issue. From the standpoint of a driver, they've invested a lot in their account," Uber's Chief Security Officer Joe Sullivan told "Squawk Box." "In a world of account takeovers, data breaches, and things like that, we want to make sure that these drivers can feel confident that no one's going to steal their identity and their account just by knowing their password," he said.

The feature follows a series of recent security measures Uber introduced after its driver-vetting process came under fire in the wake of the fatal shooting of six people in Kalamazoo, Michigan, allegedly by an Uber driver.