inDrive asks new riders in Mexico for a selfie and ID
The company says the check already runs in about 30 cities. Its privacy policy does not say how long it keeps the selfie.
New riders on inDrive in Mexico must send a selfie and an official ID before their first trip. The company describes the requirement as already active in about 30 cities, according to Xataka México, which published the information on Oct. 10.
The inDrive privacy policy for Mexico, updated on Nov. 7, 2025, says the company may ask for a selfie image for "liveness checks". The document does not mention biometric data and sets no retention period for the selfie. It gives only general periods of 3 to 10 years for tax, commercial and claims records.
The process has two steps. A liveness check tries to confirm that a real person, not a photo, is in front of the camera. Then the rider uploads an ID, which the system matches against the selfie, while also checking that the document is valid and that its holder is an adult. The company says the whole thing takes about five seconds.
Jovanny Huerta Espinosa, a security specialist at inDrive in Mexico, told Xataka México that knowing who gets into the car is a constant request from drivers. The company says it handles the data confidentially.
Several questions remain open. Neither Xataka México nor El Heraldo de Saltillo, which reported it on Oct. 7, says what happens to existing accounts or to riders who fail the check. The start date is also unclear: Portal ERP described a liveness check before the first trip in February 2025, so the requirement may predate this coverage. Both reports rely on company material, and its press release could not be found.
In Mexico, personal data held by private companies falls under the Federal Law on Protection of Personal Data Held by Private Parties, published in March 2025. The authority is the Ministry of Anti-Corruption and Good Governance, which replaced the INAI. Still pending is a privacy notice specific to the verification: it was not found on inDrive's Mexican site.
