The Dutch Data Protection Authority (AP) has hit Uber with an 824.9 million euro fine for allegedly violating the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The regulator accuses the company of automatically deactivating driver accounts between 2018 and 2022 without human intervention. According to the AP, these fully automated decisions deprived drivers of income, constituting a serious violation of EU privacy laws.

The investigation launched after 171 French drivers reported the issue to a human rights organization, prompting the AP to take over since Uber’s European headquarters sit in the Netherlands. Deputy chair Robert Vt Hoenderdaal noted, “From one moment to the next, they no longer had any income through Uber,” adding that computers should not make consequential decisions unilaterally.

This latest enforcement follows prior AP sanctions, including a 290 million euro penalty in 2024 for improper data transfers. Authorities calculated the new fine as the maximum allowable penalty, derived from 4 percent of Uber’s worldwide annual turnover. The company has already filed an appeal, and we will update the story once a comment is received.