As ride-hailing companies contend with safety issues, including assaults of both passengers and drivers, this week Uber is launching a new layer of security: a four-digit pin code to help ensure riders are getting into the right car. Long-standing measures have included providing riders with license plate numbers and the make and model of cars.

Proposals for still more layers are in the works. Members of Congress recently introduced a bill that would require ride-hailing vehicles to post (QR) codes — on a passenger’s side window, perhaps — that riders could scan with smartphones, instantly verifying that the right person is getting into the right vehicle.

Birds need protection from feral cats

The feral cats of Kauai are doing damage again to the population of endangered native seabirds. A petrel chick that was about to begin flying was killed by one of the felines. Luckily, its two siblings made it out to sea, heading west, state officials said.

This has been a problem on Kauai for years, but Oahu’s cat colonies also have grown out of control, though they haven’t attacked endangered birds yet. Perhaps the cats can get acquainted with the feral chickens, which also have become pests.