● Covered by 3 sources · 3 reportsMedium impact3 negative
Uber fined nearly $1 billion by Dutch regulator for automated driver deactivations
Key points
- Uber fined 824.9 million euros ($966 million) by Dutch AP.
- Violation of GDPR for automated driver deactivations.
- Deactivations occurred between 2018 and 2022 without human review.
- Fine calculated as 4% of Uber's worldwide annual turnover.
- Fine is the second largest penalty issued under GDPR.
- Uber plans to appeal the decision.
- Uber's fine is 825 million euros ($964 million).
- The Dutch Data Protection Authority imposed the fine.
- Uber failed to inform drivers about automatic decision-making.
- The Dutch authority has fined Uber four times previously.
- The largest previous fine was in 2024.
Massive Fine for GDPR Violation
The Dutch Data Protection Authority (AP) has imposed a fine of 824.9 million euros, equivalent to approximately $966 million, on Uber. This penalty stems from Uber's alleged violation of the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
Automated Driver Deactivations
The core of the violation involves Uber automatically deactivating driver accounts between 2018 and 2022. The AP accused the company of making these decisions without human intervention, thereby depriving drivers of their income through fully automated processes. The investigation was initiated after 171 French drivers reported these issues.
Impact on Drivers
Monique Verdier, deputy chair of the AP, highlighted the significant impact on drivers, stating that they lost their income from Uber without warning. The AP emphasized that automated systems should not make decisions with major consequences for individuals without human oversight.
Previous Penalties and Appeal
This is not the first time Uber has faced fines from the AP; previous penalties include 600,000 euros in 2018, 10 million euros in 2023, and 290 million euros in 2024 for improper data transfers. The current 824.9 million euro fine represents the maximum penalty, calculated as four percent of Uber's worldwide annual turnover. Uber has reportedly filed an appeal against this fine.
Updates
- Uber's fine is 825 million euros ($964 million).
- The Dutch Data Protection Authority imposed the fine.
- Uber failed to inform drivers about automatic decision-making.
- The Dutch authority has fined Uber four times previously.
- The largest previous fine was in 2024.
- Fine is the second largest penalty issued under GDPR.
- Uber plans to appeal the decision.
✨ This summary was generated by AI from the outlets' reporting listed below. It is not independently verified and may contain errors — check the original sources. How BrevFeed works →
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How outlets covered it
Dutch data protection authorities have fined Uber 825 million euros ($964 million) for violating GDPR by using automated software to suspend driver accounts without human review. This fine addresses Uber's practices from 2018 to 2022, where it failed to inform drivers about automatic decision-making and lacked human oversight for account suspensions.
The Dutch Data Protection Authority has fined Uber €825 million (approximately $966 million) for automatically deactivating driver accounts without sufficient human oversight or warning. This penalty, the second largest under GDPR, addresses complaints that Uber's automated processes led to serious infringements, which Uber plans to appeal.
The Dutch Data Protection Authority (AP) has fined Uber 824.9 million euros ($966 million) for violating GDPR by automatically deactivating driver accounts without human intervention between 2018 and 2022. This fine is the largest imposed on Uber by the AP and addresses concerns about automated decisions impacting driver income.