Dutch privacy regulators have imposed an €825 million (US$964 million) penalty on Uber after finding the ride-hailing giant unlawfully relied on automated systems to suspend drivers without sufficient human oversight.
The Dutch Data Protection Authority (AP) said Uber breached the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) between 2018 and 2022 by allowing automated decision-making systems to suspend drivers suspected of fraud or those receiving poor customer ratings.
According to the regulator, the decisions could have immediate and serious consequences for drivers, including cutting off their ability to earn income.
“Uber has committed serious infringements,” AP vice president Monique Verdier said.
“A computer is not allowed to make independent decisions that have major consequences for you. A human should have reviewed this first.”
The investigation followed a complaint from French human rights organisation LDH. Dutch authorities took responsibility for the case because Uber’s European headquarters is based in the Netherlands.
Uber disputes the regulator’s findings, maintaining that drivers were not permanently removed from its platform solely through automated decision-making. The company intends to appeal the penalty.
The €825 million fine represents approximately 1.85% of Uber’s reported €44.5 billion in worldwide revenue for 2025. Under European rules, GDPR violations can attract penalties of up to 4% of a company’s annual global turnover.
The decision comes amid growing friction between Washington and Brussels over European penalties targeting major American technology companies.
US President Donald Trump has accused European authorities of unfairly targeting American firms and threatened economic retaliation, including tariffs. In July, Trump warned of a US trade investigation after the EU imposed a roughly $1 billion competition penalty on Google.
The latest action against Uber could further intensify that dispute as European regulators continue enforcing privacy and competition laws against some of the largest US technology companies.
Image credit: Viktor Avdeev
