Dutch regulator fines Uber €825m over driver suspensions

The Dutch Data Protection Authority on Friday fined Uber €825 million after finding the company used automated systems to suspend driver accounts without human review between 2018 and 2022. The regulator ruled the practice violated the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation.

Investigators found some suspensions were applied permanently and drivers were not given required information about automated decision-making. GDPR restricts decisions made solely by automated processes when they have significant effects on individuals.

The authority also concluded Uber failed to provide drivers with clear notice about automated processing or options to challenge decisions. The fine targets systems that blocked or removed drivers from the platform without a human check.

Uber disputed the authority’s findings and said it will appeal. A company statement read: ‘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.’

The penalty is the fourth imposed by the Dutch regulator on Uber. In 2024 the company was fined €290 million over the alleged transfer of European drivers’ personal data to the United States without adequate protections.

Under the GDPR, firms must avoid fully automated decisions that produce serious effects on people unless safeguards such as human oversight and clear notice are in place. Uber’s appeal will move the case into the Dutch legal system, where the company can contest the facts and the size of the sanction.