to work for uber. in texas, approved uber drivers included a murderer on parole and a convicted felon once accused, though not convicted, of seeking to smuggle rocket launchers into the middle east. he s now sentenced for 25 years for sexually assaulting a passenger. uber s sexual assault victims like this woman say uber must improve how it screens drivers. if they really want to put themselves out there as a safe ride home, they should really make sure that they are putting these people out there that are going to get you home safely. uber s response to the problems and its background checks is that the company has made significant investments and improvements and will continue to work with state and local governments to get it right in the future. to conduct its background checks, uber and lyft both use a company called checker, which uses a potential driver s name and social security number to search federal, state, and local courts and other databases for disqualifying records.