Rape charges against a Lyft driver with a criminal record demonstrate issues with background checks in the gig economy . London - based employment screening firm Sterling Talent Solutions failed to catch the criminal record of a Chicago driver , who allegedly tied up and raped his passenger . The organisation , which vets drivers for almost 30 % of Fortune 500 companies , boasts court record searches 50 % faster than competitors ; but human errors , incomplete database records and technological issues are widespread , reportedly . TalentWise was the company’s ninth acquisition in recent years. With gig economy jobs , such as with ride - hailing companies , becoming more commonplace , the alleged shortcomings of Sterling 's vetting system could increasingly have negative consequences .
Rape charges against a Lyft driver with a criminal record demonstrate issues with background checks in the gig economy . London - based employment screening firm Sterling Talent Solutions failed to catch the criminal record of a Chicago driver , who allegedly tied up and raped his passenger . The organisation , which vets drivers for almost 30 % of Fortune 500 companies , boasts court record searches 50 % faster than competitors ; but human errors , incomplete database records and technological issues are widespread , reportedly . With gig economy jobs , such as with ride - hailing companies , becoming more commonplace , the alleged shortcomings of Sterling 's vetting system could increasingly have negative consequences .