China ’s drive - divvy up behemoth Didi is attempt to make its platformsafer for usersafter a 21 - year - previous woman wasallegedly murderedby one of its driver .
For starters , its carpooling service , Hitch , will no longer let driver and passengers rate and tag the visual aspect of one another . Drivers have reportedly leave female passengers tag like “ long leg , ” “ adorable girl , ” “ goddesses , ” and “ beauty . ”
Aside from eliminating all personalized tags and ratings , Didi will also make Hitch passengers ’ personal information and profile pictures seeable only to them , showing drivers and other users only a default image , according toa company web log postpublished on Wednesday .
What ’s more , Hitch drivers will be required to use facial acknowledgment for every tripper to secure that the correct individual is using the driver account . The distaff passenger murdered was allegedly picked up by a number one wood using his father ’s Hitch invoice . Drivers across Didi ’s other ride - sharing services will be required to pass a facial realization psychometric test each solar day before beginning their trips .
Didi also said in its announcement that it is going to redesign its Emergency Help button . As stands , when someone chatter the push button , real - metre audio is record , a Didi illustration supervise the call and follow up , and the substance abuser ’ trip information is sent to their pinch contact . The update will allow user to join with the constabulary , an ambulance service , a traffic exigency hotline , or the troupe ’s emergency helpline . The button will also be made more seeable within the app , the troupe said .
The Hitch service is currently unavailable between 10 pm and 6 am as Didi continue to evaluate its new even guard measures . The caller noted that people on trips that take off before 10 premier but may overstep that time will be sent a base hit reminder before they straggle .
Perhaps one of the most extreme precautions floated in the post imply recording the audio recording of every single trip . Didi noted that users would have to consent to being recorded before using the app , and that the recording would n’t be lay in on their earphone , but rather inscribe and stored on the company ’s server . They would be delete every 72 hours . The company argue that this proposal is the best way of life to resolve disputes , rather than weighing the account tell by passengers and drivers . But it ’s hard to see how such a supremely invasive surety mensuration will put drivers and passengers at ease . Working toward minimizing wildness and intimate harassment should n’t start with more surveillance , but more rigorous scope stoppage and answerableness .
Didi say it plans to roll out its new security system measures by the end of the calendar month , after the populace has a chance to burthen in .
These issue are not unlike the single U.S.-based ride - sharing services are grapple with . At least 103 Uber drivers in the country have allegedly sexual assaulted or abuse their passengers in the last four days , concord to a CNN investigation . And how Didi handles its issues is not inconsequential to the rest of the world — the Chinese party is extending its reach beyond its home nation . Last month , Didilaunched its military service in Mexico . The ride - sharing service alsojust got approvalto test sovereign vehicles in California as well asopened a research labin the U.S. last year .
[ Bloomberg ]
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