Gadgets

Uber fined a record €825 million in the Netherlands

Uber has been penalized by Dutch authorities for disabling driver accounts without prior notice.

21 August 2026Tagblick Newsdesk

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The transport company Uber has been fined €825 million by the Dutch Data Protection Authority (Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens). This penalty stems from the automated deactivation of driver accounts between 2020 and 2022, without adequate communication to those affected.

According to reports, drivers were insufficiently informed about the deactivation of their accounts, leading the Dutch authority to determine that this action did not comply with the principles of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The incidents had also raised concerns in France, where a complaint had been filed.

This fine is the second-largest ever imposed under the GDPR, following the €1.2 billion fine levied against Meta. The decision marks a significant development for the automated management practices of digital platforms, particularly those employing artificial intelligence.

Uber's European headquarters, located in Amsterdam, was directly involved in this case, placing the Netherlands at the center of this data protection controversy. The Dutch Authority concluded that the lack of clear communication about the deactivation of access affected not only the drivers but also the integrity of the company's practices.

According to several sources, this ruling has potential implications for other tech companies that rely on automated systems to manage their services. The case could encourage other regulators to scrutinize the practices of account suspension and deactivation across various platforms.

The impact of this sanction could also prompt other tech companies to reconsider how they manage user data and the implications this may have on their compliance with stringent regulations like the GDPR.

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