Uber Will Let Parents Watch Teens Through Drivers’ Selfie Cameras

Uber is introducing a feature that lets parents watch live video from drivers’ selfie cameras during their teenagers’ rides.

On Tuesday, Uber announced that it is rolling out a new live video streaming feature designed to give parents and guardians another way to monitor their children’s safety while they are traveling in an Uber.

The feature uses the selfie camera on the Uber driver’s phone to provide a live video feed. Once a ride begins, a parent or guardian whose account is linked to the teen’s account will receive a notification if live video is available. Uber says the feature will roll out nationwide across the U.S. in the coming weeks.

According to a report by The Verge, Uber drivers who have opted in to accept teen passengers will be asked to provide parents with brief access to their phones’ selfie cameras. If the driver approves, the parent or guardian linked to the teenager’s account will receive a push notification when live video becomes available.

The teenager and driver will also be notified when the parent or guardian begins watching the stream. The video feed automatically ends when the ride is over. Uber says that only parents or guardians whose accounts are linked to the teen’s account can view the livestream. However, there is no way for other people traveling with the teenager to opt out of appearing in the live video.

TechCrunch reports that after the ride ends, the video cannot be accessed by the driver, teenager, parent or guardian. Uber says the video is “encrypted,” but the company reportedly has not clarified whether the footage is end-to-end encrypted, which would mean Uber itself could not access the recording. A spokesperson for Uber did not provide an answer when asked by TechCrunch.

Uber will, however, retain an encrypted recording of the livestream. The recording is automatically deleted after 14 days unless a safety report has been filed. The company says it can only use a decryption key to access a recording when it needs to investigate an incident. In those circumstances, Uber may retain the recording for longer than 14 days in accordance with its data retention policies.

Uber introduced teen accounts in 2023, allowing parents to create a family profile, add their teenager’s account and monitor their rides. When a teen account holder requests a ride, Uber matches them with highly rated drivers who are screened every year. Parents also receive live updates when their teenager is picked up and dropped off.

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