On 21 August the Dutch data protection authority AP fined Uber 824,990,000 euros. In the AP's assessment, Uber deactivated drivers automatically, on suspicion of fraud or low customer ratings, with no human looking at the case. Uber is contesting the fine.
- 21 August 2026: the Dutch data protection authority AP fined Uber 824,990,000 euros for fully automated decisions about drivers and for not informing them enough, under the GDPR.
- In the AP's assessment, accounts were deactivated automatically, on suspicion of fraud or low customer ratings, with no human assessment, between 2018 and 2022. The AP says Uber has stopped the violations. Uber is contesting the fine.
- Update, 8 October: the European Data Protection Board (EDPB) published the case and writes that Uber has appealed the fine and there is no final judicial decision yet.
"A computer should not make decisions on its own that have major consequences for you." That is Monique Verdier, deputy chair of the Dutch data protection authority AP, and her words come with an 824,990,000 euro fine for Uber.
The mechanics are simple. Software tracks how drivers drive and what ratings customers give them. A suspicion of fraud shows up, or the ratings drop too low, and the account goes dark. No human. From one moment to the next the driver has no income through Uber, Verdier says, and that is forbidden.
This is the AP's fourth fine against Uber. In 2018 it was 600,000 euros, in 2023 it was 10 million, and in 2024 it was 290 million. Uber is defending itself against the last two, and the proceedings are still ongoing.
How long Uber has to contest it, and when exactly the fine becomes payable, the AP page does not say. The two language versions of the announcement do not match: the English one says Uber has filed an appeal against the fine, the Dutch one that it has announced it will lodge an objection. So only the narrowest thing both carry stands here: Uber is contesting the fine.
If an account in your system gets suspended on its own, on suspicion or on a low rating, put a human before the decision, not after the complaint.
Update, 8 October: the European Data Protection Board (EDPB) published the case among its national news, citing Articles 22 and 13 of the GDPR. The EDPB writes that Uber has appealed the fine, and that there is no final judicial decision yet.