Uber Expands US Driver Background Checks After Sexual Assault Lawsuits

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Interested drivers can be disqualified by more kinds of criminal convictions.

Uber is adopting a more stringent background check process for its drivers, which will expand the kinds of criminal convictions that will disqualify them from driving or delivering for the company. The ridesharing firm has announced its new standard for background checks, shortly after its shareholders sued the company's board of directors and executive officers.

"Uber's leadership has a long history of devoting insufficient resources to customer safety and protection, and setting a tone of non-compliance for the organization," the lawsuit read. That lack of compliance, the lawsuit said, led to sexual assault and harassment of Uber riders. Uber has been facing waves of sexual assault lawsuits for years, and it recently awarded $8.5 million in damages to settle a 19-year-old's plaintiff's accusation that she was raped by a driver in Arizona.

The company will start implementing its updated...

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