Uber Hit With $966 Million EU Data Fine Over Automated Driver Deactivations

The Dutch Data Protection Authority has imposed an 824.9 million euro fine, equivalent to roughly $966 million, on Uber for breaches of the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation. The regulatory action follows allegations that the ride-hailing company systematically deactivated driver profiles using automated algorithms without human oversight, as first reported by Engadget.

According to the watchdog agency, known locally as the Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens (AP), the automated account suspensions occurred between 2018 and 2022. European data privacy guidelines prohibit companies from making automated decisions that significantly impact individuals unless specific legal exceptions apply and explicit human intervention mechanisms are provided.

The regulatory probe was initiated after 171 drivers in France raised concerns over abrupt profile terminations with a regional human rights group. Because Uber maintains its European corporate headquarters in the Netherlands, the Dutch regulator assumed oversight of the multi-jurisdictional enforcement case.

Monique Verdier, deputy chair of the Dutch privacy watchdog, emphasized the severe economic fallout experienced by gig workers who suddenly lost access to the platform. "From one moment to the next, they no longer had any income through Uber," Verdier said regarding the affected drivers behind the grievance, adding that "a computer should not make decisions on its own that have major consequences for you."

The penalty marks the highest financial sanction handed down to Uber by the Dutch oversight body to date. Regulators calculated the 824.9 million euro sum based on the statutory ceiling permitted under GDPR rules, which caps penalties at four percent of a corporation's total global annual revenue.

This regulatory penalty is the fourth major financial measure levied against the San Francisco-based enterprise by the AP in recent years. In 2018, the agency issued a 600,000 euro ($701,000) sanction against the platform, followed by a 10 million euro ($11.6 million) fine delivered in 2023.

More recently, in 2024, the watchdog hit Uber with a 290 million euro sanction, roughly equal to $339 million, after concluding that the mobility provider had improperly moved personal information concerning European drivers to servers located in the United States.

Uber has already submitted an appeal challenging the AP's latest ruling and financial penalty. The outcome of the legal challenge will determine whether the record-setting data protection enforcement action stands or undergoes judicial modification in Dutch courts.