Uber fined €825 million in the Netherlands for automated driver suspension (Le Monde, 08/21/26)
The case concerns incidents that occurred in Europe between 2020 and 2022, following a complaint filed in France. This is the second-largest penalty ever imposed under the GDPR.
The Dutch Data Protection Authority (AP) decided to fine Uber €825 million for deactivating driver accounts through automated systems without properly informing them, according to a decision dated August 17 that has not yet been published.
« The AP concluded that Uber had violated drivers’ rights, in particular the right not to be subject to automated decision-making having… significant consequences », reads the document, consulted by Reuters. The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) prohibits automated decisions with a significant impact on people’s lives, requiring human oversight and the possibility to contest them.
« We firmly dispute this decision as well as the disproportionate amount of the fine, and we will appeal, » an Uber spokesperson told Agence France-Presse. According to him, the AP examined « past practices, abandoned for several years », before adding that the company took decisions concerning drivers « very seriously », ensuring that they were « fair » and « equitable ».
This is the second-largest penalty ever imposed under the GDPR, behind the €1.2 billion fine imposed on Meta by Ireland in 2023 for illegally transferring European users’ Facebook data to the United States.
Accounts Suspended Forever
The case concerns incidents that occurred in Europe between 2020 and 2022, following a complaint filed in France. It was handled by the Dutch regulator because Uber’s European headquarters are located in the Netherlands, in Amsterdam.
The company temporarily suspended certain drivers suspected of fraud, particularly when its systems detected unnecessary detours intended to inflate ride prices or rides accepted without the intention of completing them.
Uber claims it did not permanently deactivate these accounts without human review. However, drivers with low customer ratings were sometimes suspended permanently. The American ride-hailing giant also stated that it no longer makes definitive deactivation decisions based solely on automated systems.
