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AI Edge

Uber faces €825 million fine for automated driver suspensions

The Dutch Data Protection Authority imposed a €825 million (about $966 million) penalty on Uber for deactivating driver accounts through automated processes without adequate human oversight, the second-largest fine under Europe’s General Data Protection Reg…

Source: TechCrunch · August 24, 2026 at 6:55 AM · AI-assisted report

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KUALA LUMPUR, 24 AUGUST 2026 —

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The Dutch Data Protection Authority imposed a €825 million (about $966 million) penalty on Uber for deactivating driver accounts through automated processes without adequate human oversight, the second-largest fine under Europe’s General Data Protection Regulation.

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Deputy chair Monique Verdier said the regulator found “serious infringements” because “a computer should not make decisions on its own that have such major consequences.”

Uber said it will appeal, arguing most suspensions are brief, no permanent deactivations occur without human review, and drivers can appeal. The company disputes the Dutch regulator’s claim that some drivers were permanently cut off without human review.

The fine follows a 2019 complaint by Brahim Ben Ali, a former Uber driver in France, who gathered testimonies from 170 drivers and took the case to the Netherlands, where Uber’s European headquarters are based. Ben Ali was assisted by Swiss digital-rights nonprofit PersonalData.io, whose founder Paul-Olivier Dehaye said a single serious complaint can trigger severe penalties even for otherwise high-performing drivers.

“A driver can complete a thousand journeys with satisfied passengers, but if just one person reports a very serious problem, the consequences can be enormous,” Dehaye said.

This is Uber’s third Dutch fine: €290 million for mishandling drivers’ personal data and €10 million for related issues. Dehaye said all three penalties stem from complaints by the same group of drivers and that he plans to launch a class-action suit for compensation. He has also set up a new company, StartClaims, to pursue litigation against Uber and later expand into other gig-economy and ad-tech cases.

Tech commentator John Gruber argued the ruling could make it unlawful in the EU for Uber to monitor drivers for scams or no-shows, likening the decision to blaming “the time clock” rather than management. Dehaye responded that Uber remains free to discipline drivers but must assume employer-style responsibility if it automates the process.

For Malaysian readers, the fine highlights the growing liability risks for platform companies that use automated systems to manage gig workers, a model increasingly adopted by regional ride-hailing and delivery platforms.

Related: Grab · Kuala Lumpur

Reporting based on TechCrunch. Figures and claims are subject to revision as the story develops. DomainFork publishes editorial context, not investment advice — see our editorial standards.