Ensuring the integrity of the Instacart platform

Millions of people and families across North America trust Instacart when ordering the groceries and essentials they need, and we’re deeply committed to providing a safe, reliable, and trustworthy experience for the customers, shoppers, and communities we serve. Our team is dedicated to safeguarding the Instacart platform, and we’re proud of the proactive measures we take and our ongoing oversight efforts. Ensuring that only verified shoppers can access and complete orders helps protect our customers and partners and creates a fairer, more equitable experience for shoppers who use Instacart for flexible earning opportunities. Below are more details on the proactive measures we take to prevent, detect, and remove shoppers who inappropriately use our platform.

Shopper Onboarding:

Our safety efforts begin when shoppers sign-up to use the platform: 

• Eligibility Requirements: We use our own technology and third-party partners to verify that prospective shoppers are 18 years or older and hold a valid driver’s license and Social Security number.
• Background Check: Prospective shoppers must complete and pass initial criminal and motor vehicle record background checks conducted by our third-party partners, including Checkr. 
• Profile Photo: All shoppers must add a profile photo, and we use both biometric screening technology and human review to verify the photo is genuine (and not AI-generated) and matches the shopper’s identification documents. This photo is also shared with the customer to allow them to confirm the shopper is an authorized shopper.
• Blocking Deactivated Shoppers: We have guardrails to detect and deny shoppers who have had their account deactivated from opening a duplicate shopper account. 

Ongoing Security Measures:

We’ve implemented several security measures to help ensure that shoppers remain eligible to shop with Instacart and that they are using their account appropriately:

• Secure Login: We utilize mobile phone login passkeys, such as facial or fingerprint recognition, multi-factor authentication (MFA), and reCAPTCHA, to verify that the appropriate shopper is accessing the account. 
• Real-Time Identity Verification: We frequently prompt shoppers to verify their identity through a quick, secure authentication process. After a shopper takes a ‘selfie’ image in real-time, we use dynamic biometric screening technology to confirm it matches the shopper’s government-issued driver’s license.
• Automatic Logouts: Shoppers are periodically logged out of their accounts and asked to log back in to help maintain account security.
• Ongoing Background Checks: We refresh background checks to ensure shoppers are still eligible to shop with Instacart. 

Detecting Unusual Activity:

Sharing accounts or using multiple accounts are clear violations of Instacart’s policies and are not tolerated. We work to identify shoppers engaging in this type of behavior in multiple ways, including: 

• Banned Device Switching: The device that accepts a batch must also complete it—shoppers cannot switch between different devices mid-batch. This prevents unauthorized individuals from accepting a batch and transferring it to another user. It also provides assurance to the customer that the shopper who accepted the batch will deliver it.
• Detecting Shoppers With Multiple Accounts: We’ve adopted sophisticated algorithms to help us detect and remove shoppers using multiple accounts.
• Device & Location Monitoring: We actively monitor app sign-ins from new devices or unexpected locations and may require shoppers to provide additional verification to confirm that they are using the account.

Removing Shoppers Who Misuse Instacart:

Instacart takes deactivations seriously and has a robust process in place in the unfortunate event a shopper has engaged in conduct that warrants deactivation from the platform:

• Deactivations: If we believe a shopper has engaged in unauthorized activity (e.g. account sharing, using multiple accounts, etc.), we will deactivate the shopper’s account in compliance with applicable law. 
• Appeal Process: A shopper who has had their account suspended or deactivated may submit an appeal directly with our Trust & Safety team, which thoroughly reviews any evidence provided. 

We’re proud of the safeguards we’ve implemented but recognize that this work is never done. We remain committed to constantly exploring new ways to protect the integrity of the Instacart platform for the customers, shoppers, and communities we serve. For more information on Instacart’s account security policies, please visit Instacart’s Help Center.

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Instacart is the leading grocery technology company in North America, partnering with more than 1,500 national, regional, and local retail banners to deliver from more than 85,000 stores across more than 14,000 cities in North America. To read more Instacart posts, you can browse the company blog or search by keyword using the search bar at the top of the page.