Information about Photo Verification

Why am I being asked to take a photo of myself?

We collect your profile photo to display to other users so they can recognize you when you’re performing ride or delivery services on the Uber platform.

We also require users to provide accurate information about themselves when creating an account with Uber. To help prevent the creation of user accounts based on false information (such as using another individual’s driver’s license or photo), we take steps to verify your profile photo and ID documents that you submit to us as explained below. We do this to help keep our users and platform safe.

Once submitted, your profile photo will also be used sometimes to verify your identity before you go online. This identity verification check may involve the use of facial recognition to compare a real-time selfie of yourself against your profile photo to help ensure that the person using your account is indeed you. For more information about Real-Time ID Check, tap here.

How do I take a profile photo of myself?

The Driver app will ask you to take a photo of yourself, like a selfie. In some places, you may be asked to upload a current profile picture instead.

Because riders and eaters see your profile photo displayed in-app, you should make sure it’s good quality so they can recognize you. To take a good quality photo:

  • Face the camera and keep your face and neck inside the white guidelines on the screen, looking straight ahead
  • Make sure there’s plenty of light (turn on the light if it’s dark)
  • Hold the phone steady so the photo isn’t blurry
  • Have no one else in the background
  • Have your face clearly visible and not covered by anything, like a hat, sunglasses, or a scarf

You shouldn’t take a photo of someone else, or a photo of another photo, as this will result in the photo being rejected.

Please keep in mind that you can only change your profile photo in limited circumstances after we verify it. Please navigate to Account & app > Change account settings > Update profile photo in the Help Center for more information.

How does Uber verify my photo?

Depending on the legal requirements and technical feasibility in a given market, we may take steps to verify your photo in the following ways:

  1. Liveness Detection: In most markets, you’ll be asked to take a video-enabled live photo in the app. This technology - called liveness detection - helps us verify that the photo you submit is of a real, live person, and has not been digitally altered or manipulated. In some cases, you may be prompted to perform a specific action, such as blinking or nodding, to prove you are present and not a fake representation. This technology does not use facial recognition to uniquely identify you.
  2. Photo Comparison: In some countries, Uber may also use facial recognition to compare your profile photo with the photo on your ID document (such as your Driver’s License) to make sure it’s the same person. This check is called 1:1 facial verification. Uber may also compare your photos with photos submitted by other users to check for duplications across other accounts.* This check is called 1:N facial verification. These checks help us detect and prevent the creation of fraudulent accounts based on false or stolen information. Photos that are flagged as potentially not a match or a duplicate (i.e., matches with photos on file of exiting or past users) are submitted to our identity verification specialists for human review.

In places where local regulations restrict the use of facial recognition technologies and require an alternate method of verification, such as the European Union, United Kingdom, and Switzerland, you may choose to undergo photo comparison with or without using facial recognition technology.

If you choose not to have your photo verified using facial verification technology in those places, we will send your profile picture and ID document directly to our identity verification specialists, who will manually compare these photos to verify that they match.

*Uber does not perform 1:N facial verification checks in countries, such as those in the European Union, where laws strictly prohibit such processing of biometric data.

Does Uber use third parties to verify my photo?

Yes, Uber has partnered with the following third-party service providers to perform the above verification checks at signup. A link is provided to each of their privacy notices for more information:

These third parties are contractually prohibited from sharing your information for any purpose other than to verify your photos on Uber’s behalf. They must also keep your information secure, and are not allowed to retain it for longer than necessary to perform their services (and in no case longer than legally permissible). If you’d like more information on which provider was used during your signup session, please contact Uber Support.

What happens if my photo isn’t verified?

If your profile photo doesn’t pass the liveness detection check because your photo does not appear to be of a real live person, or you submit a photo of an existing photo, or submit an otherwise non-compliant photo, your photo will be rejected. You must submit a good quality, valid photo of yourself to proceed with the account creation process. For tips on submitting a good profile photo, see the section above entitled How do I take a profile photo of myself?.

If your profile photo doesn’t pass the photo comparison check because your profile photo doesn’t look like the person in your ID document, your photos will be submitted for human review by our specialized customer support agents. If on review, our agents determine that the photos are not a match, you may not be approved for access to the Uber platform and your account may be deactivated.

What can I do if my account is deactivated, but I think the decision is wrong?

If you think that your account was incorrectly deactivated, you can appeal the decision in the app.

When you make an appeal, ‌identity verification specialists will review:

  • Your profile photo
  • Any other photos you have submitted before as part of this process
  • Your identification document

If they find that the photos are of the same person, then your account will be reactivated.

If the specialists still find that the photos are not of the same person or that your selfie is otherwise non-compliant, then your account may remain deactivated.

How long is my data retained for and how is it kept secure?

Uber is committed to keeping your personal data safe and secure. This includes encrypting the photos you submit to verify your identity, preventing use of them for unrelated purposes, and retaining them for only as long as necessary for the purposes for which we collected them, in accordance with applicable law and in a manner consistent with our Privacy Notice.

What if I have a problem verifying my photo?

If you have a problem verifying your photo or if you think our systems have made a mistake, please contact Uber Support.

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Transgender users

We want to ensure that transgender and transitioning earners are always able to earn using the Driver app. Our support teams are prepared to help if you have any issues while completing a verification.

To learn more about how Uber uses your data and your data rights, please review our Privacy Notice.

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