“The bill is almost certain to prompt a notice from Uber and Lyft that the organizations will halt their services in Rhode Island if the biometric background check requirement is implemented.”
Another state is considering legislation that would require Uber drivers to undergo biometric background checks. Rhode Island State Attorney General Peter Kilmartin has just proposed the bill.
As Rhode Island Public Radio reports, a fingerprinting requirement had been considered when ride-hailing apps like Uber and Lyft were legalized in the state last year, but was abandoned after opposition from Uber. It isn’t clear what has prompted the State Attorney General to renew the call for biometric background checks, but it comes amid increasing scrutiny of Uber’s seeming efforts to flout legal obstacles in the areas in which it operates.
The bill is almost certain to prompt a notice from Uber and Lyft that the organizations will halt their services in Rhode Island if the biometric background check requirement is implemented. Uber has made such threats in a number of jurisdictions and in many cases has followed through; in Austin, for example, it halted services after such a requirement was put in place, with similar services willing to abide by the law having taken its place.
Source: Rhode Island Public Radio
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March 7, 2017 – by Alex Perala
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