.jpg)
Uber fined nearly €825million over automated driver account blocking
- Perry Richardson
- 1 hour ago
- 2 min read
Uber has been fined €824.99million by the Dutch data protection authority after the regulator ruled that the company used fully automated systems to deactivate driver accounts without prior human assessment.
The Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens (AP) found that drivers could be temporarily removed from the platform following suspected fraud or low customer ratings. Drivers whose ratings remained below the required level could be permanently deactivated.
The decisions were made automatically using software that monitored driving behaviour and customer feedback. According to the regulator, no human assessment took place before the affected accounts were blocked.
The systems operated between 2018 and 2022. During periods of deactivation, drivers were unable to earn income through the Uber platform.
The AP ruled that the process breached the General Data Protection Regulation’s restrictions on solely automated decisions that produce significant consequences for individuals. It also found that Uber failed to give drivers sufficient information about how automated decision-making was being used.
Monique Verdier, deputy chair of the AP, said: “Uber has committed serious infringements. Drivers were deactivated without pardon. From one moment to the next, they no longer had any income through Uber. That’s forbidden.
“A computer should not make decisions on its own that have major consequences for you. These decisions should have been looked at first by a human being.”
The investigation followed complaints involving 171 French drivers. The drivers reported their concerns to French human rights organisation Ligue des droits de l’Homme, which submitted a complaint on their behalf to French privacy regulator CNIL.
The Dutch authority led the investigation because Uber’s European headquarters are in the Netherlands. Under the GDPR’s one-stop-shop system, the regulator responsible for the company’s main European establishment can coordinate cross-border enforcement action.
The AP said it worked closely with CNIL and aligned its decision with other European data protection authorities. Uber has since stopped the practices identified as unlawful by the investigation.
European privacy authorities can issue financial penalties of up to 4% of a company’s worldwide annual turnover for serious GDPR breaches. Uber generated global turnover of approximately €44.5billion in 2025, according to figures cited by the AP.
Uber has appealed against the €824.99million penalty. The appeal means the regulator’s findings and the final size of the fine remain open to legal challenge.
The decision is the fourth penalty imposed on Uber by the Dutch authority. The company was fined €600,000 in 2018, €10million in 2023 and €290million in 2024. Uber is also challenging the 2023 and 2024 penalties, with those proceedings still ongoing.
