Dutch Regulators Impose Nearly $1 Billion Penalty on Uber for Automated Driver Account Suspensions

The Dutch Data Protection Authority has levied a fine of 825 million euros—approximately $964 million—against Uber for violating European privacy regulations through the use of automated account suspension systems. The enforcement action, announced Friday, centers on the ride-hailing platform’s practice of permanently or temporarily deactivating driver accounts using software algorithms without meaningful human intervention or error-checking procedures.

Between 2018 and 2022, Uber deployed fully automated decision-making systems that contravened the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation, which explicitly prohibits such unilateral technological determinations affecting individuals. The Dutch authority also found that Uber failed to adequately inform drivers about the existence and operation of these automated processes, compounding the regulatory violations.

Uber stated it intends to contest both the fine and the underlying decision through the appeals process. The company maintained that it has since discontinued the practices under review and now incorporates human evaluation, protective mechanisms, and driver appeals procedures into its account management decisions.

This represents the fourth penalty the Dutch Data Protection Authority has imposed on Uber. A previous 2024 fine of 290 million euros resulted from unauthorized transfers of European driver personal data to the United States without sufficient legal safeguards in place.