Turo CEO reveals attackers had clean records, highlighting limitation of background checks in preventing rental car thefts

Table of Contents

A Dark Week for Turo: Cars Rented for Violent Acts, and a Glimpse into the Platform’s Security Measures

This week has been marked by two shocking incidents involving rented cars from Turo, a peer-to-peer car-sharing platform. On Monday, a military veteran driving a Ford F-150 Lightning crashed into a crowd of people in New Orleans, killing at least 15 individuals. The next day, an active-duty Green Beret parked a Tesla Cybertruck in front of the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas and allegedly blew it up, resulting in his own death by suicide.

Turo’s Response: Outrage and a Commitment to Improving Security

Turo’s chief executive, Andre Haddad, released a statement on Friday expressing his outrage over the egregious misuse of their platform. He acknowledged that the company is working around the clock to determine how these crimes could have occurred and to improve their security measures.

The Challenge: Balancing Openness with Safety

The question remains: how can Turo or any similar platform prevent such incidents from happening in the future? With millions of trips facilitated through their platform over 12 years, including a staggering 27 million, it’s clear that Turo has been successful in providing an open and accessible experience for both hosts and renters.

However, this openness raises concerns about safety. With hosts renting out multiple vehicles on the platform at a time, it becomes increasingly difficult to monitor each transaction thoroughly. As Haddad noted, even with valid driver’s licenses and clean criminal backgrounds, these two perpetrators managed to slip through the cracks.

What Does Turo’s Security Measure Entail?

Turo claims to screen each renter using a proprietary multi-layer data-science-based trust and safety algorithm called the Turo Risk Score. This score incorporates 50 internal and external data sources to assess potential risks. However, it remains unclear what this entails in terms of actual background checks or how comprehensive these measures are.

When questioned about their security protocols, Haddad explained that the company does not perform traditional criminal background checks but rather uses a proprietary algorithm to evaluate risk. He emphasized that even if Turo’s background checks were foolproof, neither perpetrator would have been flagged by law enforcement.

Controversies in the Past: Human and Drug Trafficking

Turo has faced controversy before due to instances of human and drug trafficking involving cars rented through their platform. Hosts on the Turo subreddit page have shared concerns about renting out vehicles to individuals with criminal histories, highlighting the ongoing challenges associated with peer-to-peer car-sharing.

What’s Next for Turo?

In light of these incidents, Haddad announced that Turo is investing in improving its risk score algorithm and has assembled a team of former law enforcement professionals to assess future risks. The company will also be consulting with national security and counterterrorism experts to enhance their safety measures.

As the platform continues to grow, it’s clear that Turo must balance openness with safety. By implementing more comprehensive security measures and collaborating with industry experts, they can work towards preventing such tragedies in the future.

Key Takeaways:

Two incidents of violence involving rented cars from Turo have raised concerns about the platform’s security measures.
Turo uses a proprietary algorithm to evaluate risk, which incorporates 50 internal and external data sources.
The company does not perform traditional criminal background checks but relies on its risk score assessment.
Despite valid driver’s licenses and clean criminal backgrounds, both perpetrators managed to slip through the cracks.