'A computer should not make decisions on its own': Uber fined $1 billion for using automated systems to suspend 171 drivers

The Dutch Data Protection Authority (AP) has levied a substantial €825 million ($962 million) fine on Uber for utilizing automated systems to suspend the accounts of 171 drivers based solely on algorithms and driver behavior, alongside customer feedback. The regulators argue that the decision-making process by computers without human intervention led to significant consequences for the drivers, effectively threatening their livelihoods.

This marks the second-largest GDPR fine ever issued, just shy of the €1.2 billion penalty imposed on Meta in 2023. Despite Uber asserting that human approval was involved in permanent account deactivations, the investigation revealed that the automated systems had made the final decisions concerning the drivers' accounts, thereby disqualifying them from earning income through the platform.

The Dutch regulators focused on this issue due to Uber's main European operations being headquartered in the country. The fine, issued in 2026, pertains to practices from 2018 to 2022, when Uber used software to evaluate driver behavior and customer feedback before automatically restricting accounts suspected of suspicious activity.

These reasons included taking detours to artificially inflate customer prices and accepting rides without a commitment to complete them. Uber maintains that fraud-related suspensions were typically brief and that permanent account deactivations were not made without human review, and the company plans to contest the decision.