Uber Fined Nearly $1 Billion by Dutch Regulators for Automated Driver Suspensions

Dutch data protection authorities have fined Uber 825 million euros (approximately $964 million) for using automated software to suspend driver accounts without sufficient human oversight. The Dutch Data Protection Authority announced the fine on Friday, stating that the ride-hailing company violated the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) by employing fully automated decision-making processes that sometimes resulted in permanent account suspensions without human review to correct potential errors.

According to the authority, Uber also failed to adequately inform drivers about its automatic decision-making procedures. These violations reportedly occurred between 2018 and 2022.

Uber has stated that it disagrees with the decision and the imposed fine, and plans to file an appeal. A company spokesperson said in a written statement, "The (Data Protection Authority) examined historic policies that were discontinued years ago. We take decisions that affect drivers' ability to earn extremely seriously and we’re fully committed to fair treatment. This includes human reviews, robust safeguards, and the opportunity for drivers to appeal our decisions if they believe we made a mistake.”

This is not the first time Uber has faced penalties from Dutch regulators. The 825 million euro fine is the fourth imposed by the authority. The largest previous fine, 290 million euros ($324 million), was issued in 2024 for allegations of transferring personal data of European drivers to the United States without adequate protections.