Uber announced expanded background checks for US drivers following mounting sexual assault lawsuits, including a recent $8.5 million settlement. The company faces shareholder litigation alleging leadership ignored safety concerns that led to rider harassment and assault.

The new screening disqualifies drivers for violent felonies including armed robbery, aggravated assault, and arson, plus child abuse, stalking, and strangulation convictions regardless of age. These join existing bans on sexual offenses, murder, and terrorism. Uber will now use lifetime Social Security number traces instead of 7-year searches.

Approximately 2,000 veteran drivers can keep working if their non-sexual felonies are over 15 years old and they have clean safety records. However, Bloomberg reports the changes will remove tens of thousands of drivers, roughly 0.5 percent of Uber's US workforce.

Third-party providers will search federal court records, sex offender databases, and terror watchlists. This represents Uber's latest attempt to address safety concerns that have plagued the platform for years.