Business & Finance
Dutch privacy regulator fines Uber €825 million over automated driver deactivations
Regulators ruled that Uber breached EU data protection laws by suspending driver accounts without adequate human review between 2018 and 2022, prompting an appeal from the company.
The short version
- The Dutch Data Protection Authority penalized Uber €825 million ($964 million to $966 million) for using automated systems to suspend driver accounts without sufficient human oversight.
- Regulators found that Uber violated General Data Protection Regulation rules prohibiting fully automated decision-making and failed to properly inform drivers between 2018 and 2022.
- Uber strongly disputed the findings and the size of the fine, maintaining that permanent removals involve human review and that the investigated practices were discontinued years ago.
- Uber plans to appeal the penalty, while worker advocates are preparing a potential class action lawsuit for driver compensation.
Key facts
- The Dutch Data Protection Authority imposed an €825 million fine on Uber for violating the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation.[Associated Press · TechCrunch · ABC News]
- The regulator stated that between 2018 and 2022, Uber used automated software to suspend driver accounts—at times permanently—without human checks and failed to notify drivers of the automated processes.[Associated Press · ABC News]
- Uber announced it will appeal the decision, asserting that the investigation focused on outdated practices and arguing that permanent deactivations require human review.[Associated Press · TechCrunch · ABC News]
- The regulatory probe originated from complaints organized by former driver Brahim Ben Ali and the Swiss digital rights nonprofit PersonalData.io.[TechCrunch]
- The penalty follows prior fines from the Dutch regulator against Uber, including a €290 million fine in 2024 concerning trans-Atlantic driver data transfers.[Associated Press · TechCrunch · ABC News]
What remains uncertain
- Whether any permanent driver account deactivations occurred entirely without human review remains contested between the Dutch regulator and Uber.[TechCrunch]
- The ultimate enforceability and financial amount of the fine will depend on the outcome of Uber's planned legal appeal.[Associated Press · TechCrunch]