Uber Hit With Europe’s Second-Largest GDPR Fine at $966M
Synopsis
The Dutch Data Protection Authority imposed an €825 million penalty over automated driver suspensions, saying Uber failed to adequately inform drivers when their accounts were deactivated; the company disputes the fine and plans to appeal.
Uber to be fined $966 million for GDPR violations after Dutch watchdog penalises company with €825 million for automated driver account suspensions, calling inaction insufficient guidance to those affected
The Dutch Data Protection Authority has imposed a record fine on Uber of €825 million, saying that the company’s automated processes for suspending or deactivating drivers do not provide sufficient human oversight of the decisions and their impact on people.
Automated Suspensions Put Uber Under Dutch Scrutiny
The Uber automated suspension comes after the Netherlands took notice of the millions of euros in penalties.
The decision, which applies to conduct up to 2022, follows the use of automated procedures by Uber in the Netherlands when drivers are suspected of staging irregular journeys, including making diversions or fake trips.
Drivers with negative feedback scores were also suspended permanently in the same system, according to the Dutch data protection authority. However, Uber denies having applied permanent deactivation by default as it always allowed drivers to request a human review before any deactivation took place.
Drivers in Europe who lost their accounts in 2021 due to their scores will see this as an issue, as the fine will be contested, according to the company.
The complaint was filed in France, which the Netherlands subsequently handled since Uber has its European headquarters in Amsterdam. In 2024, the Dutch authorities also imposed a €290 million fine on Uber for illegally transferring the personal data of European drivers to the United States.
Second-Largest GDPR Penalty
Uber is set to receive the second-largest GDPR fine in the history of the EU’s data protection rules. This is only slightly smaller than the €1.2 billion fine imposed on Meta Platforms Ireland Unlimited Company in Ireland in 2023, which is currently being challenged in the Irish courts.
In April 2026, the board of Europe’s data protection authorities published the Annual Report 2025, which provides an overview of the work of the European Data Protection Board (EDPB). It shows that €1.15 billion was allocated to the national data protection authorities in the EU budget for 2025.
The report also details the ongoing work on the supervision of processing activities and personal data protection in the EU.
The case highlights the potential impact of the GDPR on organisations beyond the EU. This is particularly relevant for Australian and US organisations that operate services within the EU’s jurisdiction.
The GDPR can apply extra-territorially, which means that Australian and US organisations fall under the regulation’s jurisdiction if they process the personal data of individuals in the EU.
Uber Reports $14.2 Billion Q2 Revenue
Uber has reported revenue of $14.2 Billion in the first quarter of the year. The fine comes as tech giants are under the scrutiny of regulators worldwide for their data practices.
The Uber $966 million GDPR fine is only one of the many fines that have been inflicted on tech companies for violating data protection laws. Gross bookings grew by 24% to $58.0 billion, and 3.9 billion trips recorded in the first half of the year saw an 18% increase.
Uber defended its practices, noting that its procedures always allowed for human intervention and that drivers could request a review of automated decisions. The company will contest the fine imposed by the Dutch data protection authority.
Source: Reuters
Pooja Malik is a business journalist with over six years of experience covering startups, entrepreneurship, and emerging trends. She has previously worked with leading media platforms such as YourStory Media and BW BusinessWorld, where she reported on business, policy, and market developments. Currently, she serves as Editor at The Inspirepreneur Magazine, where she writes and edits stories across business, lifestyle, and travel, with a focus on clarity, accuracy, and reader relevance.
