Dutch Regulator Fines Uber €825M Over Automated Driver Suspensions

The Dutch Data Protection Authority has imposed a record 825 million euro fine on Uber, approximately 966 million dollars, for using automated systems to suspend and deactivate driver accounts without adequate human oversight or transparency, in a ruling that underscores the legal risks of algorithmic decision-making in the gig economy. The penalty, announced on August 22, 2026, is the second-largest ever issued under the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), surpassed only by a 1.2 billion euro fine against Meta in 2023.

The regulator found that between 2018 and 2022, Uber employed fully automated software to flag drivers for suspected fraud or low customer ratings, leading to temporary or permanent account deactivations. This process, the authority concluded, violated GDPR provisions that prohibit decisions based solely on automated processing when they significantly affect a person's livelihood, as they require meaningful human review. The regulator also stated that Uber failed to sufficiently inform drivers about these automated decisions.

"This is a serious infringement," said Monique Verdier, deputy chair of the Dutch authority. "From one moment to...