• 2 min read
Uber hit with $964 million fine over automated driver bans
Dutch regulators fined Uber $964 million, saying it suspended drivers with automated systems and no human review between 2018 and 2022.
Source: Techxplore
Uber has been fined €825 million ($964 million) by Dutch data protection authorities over automated systems that suspended driver accounts—sometimes permanently—without human review. Techxplore reports that Dutch regulators found the company violated the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation, or GDPR.
The Dutch Data Protection Authority announced the penalty on Friday, August 22, 2026, saying the violations took place between 2018 and 2022. The authority also said Uber failed to properly inform drivers that automated decision-making was being used against them.
Under the GDPR, fully automated decisions that significantly affect people are prohibited in the circumstances described by the regulator. For Uber drivers, an account suspension can directly prevent them from earning money through the platform. The decision therefore targets both the use of automation and the lack of transparency around it.
The regulator’s finding does not say that every suspension was incorrect. Its objection is that Uber’s systems could make decisions with serious consequences without a person checking whether the software had made a mistake before the account was disabled.
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Uber said it disagrees with both the decision and the size of the fine, and plans to appeal. The company also said the policies examined by the authority were historical and had been discontinued years ago.
“The (Data Protection Authority) examined historic policies that were discontinued years ago. We take decisions that affect drivers' ability to earn extremely seriously and we’re fully committed to fair treatment. This includes human reviews, robust safeguards, and the opportunity for drivers to appeal our decisions if they believe we made a mistake.”
That response describes the safeguards Uber says it now uses: human reviews, additional protections, and an opportunity for drivers to appeal. The source does not specify when those measures were introduced, how broadly they apply today, or whether the appeal will suspend collection of the fine.
This is the fourth fine the Dutch authority has imposed on Uber. Its previous largest penalty came in 2024, when the company was fined €290 million ($324 million) over allegations that it transferred European drivers' personal information to the United States without adequate protection.
The new case is substantially larger and focuses on a different issue: not cross-border data transfers, but how algorithmic decisions affected drivers' access to work. Uber’s planned appeal means the €825 million penalty is not necessarily the final outcome, but the regulator’s finding puts automated account enforcement under direct GDPR scrutiny.
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Sophia unpacks the invisible wars happening on our networks. Covering cybersecurity, privacy legislation, and cryptography, she exposes how our data is weaponized and defended. Before joining for(geeks), she spent years as a penetration tester. She's the reason the rest of the team uses physical security keys.
