EXCLUSIVE: Dutch regulator fines Uber $966 million for automating driver suspensions, document shows
The Dutch data protection authority has fined Uber $966 million, reportedly over its use of automated systems to suspend drivers, according to a document reviewed by Reuters. The fine appears to be one of the largest privacy-related penalties ever handed to a gig economy company.
Why this matters: Uber was not just making bad calls about drivers. It was letting an algorithm make those calls, automatically, at scale. If a driver lost income because a system flagged them, they had to fight a machine to get an answer. That is a concrete harm to real people. Regulators in Europe have been pushing hard on exactly this: the right not to have a consequential decision made about you by a system with no human in the loop. A fine this size says that right has teeth.
Who should care: Lawyers · Privacy officers · Compliance
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