Uber Hit With €825 Million Fine Over Automated Driver Deactivations

Dutch regulators imposed the penalty after investigating complaints that Uber deactivated driver accounts through an automated process without sufficient warning or human oversight. Monique Verdier, deputy chair of the Dutch Data Protection Authority, said the company had committed serious infringements. “A computer should not make decisions on its own that have such major consequences,” Verdier said in a statement.

The regulator said some drivers were permanently deactivated without any human review, a finding Uber disputes. The ride-hailing company argued that most driver suspensions are brief, that no permanent deactivations take place without human review, and that drivers have the ability to appeal. An Uber spokesperson said the company strongly disagrees with the decision and the “disproportionate fine,” and confirmed it will appeal.

The case traces back to a complaint by Brahim Ben Ali, a former Uber driver in France whose account was deactivated in 2019. Ben Ali collected testimonies from 170 other drivers and brought the complaint to the Netherlands, where Uber has its European headquarters.

The €825 million penalty — roughly $966 million — is the second-largest fine issued so far under Europe’s General Data Protection Regulation, according to the regulator. The decision highlights the growing scrutiny of automated decision-making in the workplace and the GDPR’s limits on algorithms that affect individuals without human involvement.