Uber Fined Nearly $1 Billion by Dutch Regulators Over Automated Suspensions of Driver Accounts

Dutch data protection authorities have imposed a substantial fine of nearly $1 billion on ride-hailing giant Uber, citing the company's use of automated software to suspend driver accounts, often permanently, without human review to verify potential errors. The Dutch Data Protection Authority has imposed the fine, amounting to €825 million ($964 million), due to a breach of the EU's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

The EU's data privacy rules prohibit fully automated decision-making. Furthermore, the authority alleged that Uber failed to inform drivers about its automatic decision-making process. These violations occurred between 2018 and 2022, according to the agency. Uber expressed disagreement with the decision and the hefty fine, stating it plans to file an appeal.

The company emphasized its commitment to fair treatment, highlighting its use of human reviews, robust safeguards, and driver appeal processes for decisions they believe to be incorrect. This is the fourth time the authority has fined Uber. The largest fine was €290 million ($324 million) in 2024, following allegations of transgressing data protection by transferring personal information of European drivers to the United States without sufficient safeguards.