Uber fined $964 million by Dutch regulator over automated driver suspensions

The Dutch data protection authority has imposed a fine of €825 million (about $964 million) on ride-hailing giant Uber, concluding that the company's automated system for suspending driver accounts breached the European Union's strict privacy rules.

The regulator, the Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens (Dutch DPA), said on Friday that Uber used software to automatically suspend driver accounts — sometimes permanently — without any human review to catch errors. This practice, which ran from 2018 to 2022, violated the EU's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which prohibits fully automated decision-making that significantly affects individuals.

The DPA also found that Uber failed to properly inform drivers about how its automated decision-making worked. The company, however, has said it disagrees with the decision and the fine, and plans to appeal.

In a statement, Uber said the regulator examined "historic policies that were discontinued years ago." The company emphasized its commitment to fair treatment of drivers, noting that it now includes human reviews, robust safeguards, and an appeals process for drivers who believe a mistake was made.

This is the fourth time the Dutch DPA has fined Uber. The previous largest penalty came in 2024, when Uber was fined €290 million ($324 million) for transferring European drivers' personal data to the United States without adequate protection.