Dutch regulators fined Uber €825 million over automated driver suspensions.
Why it matters: The case could force platform companies to change how they deactivate accounts, notify users and route appeals to human review. It also shows how EU privacy rules can be used to challenge automated labor decisions that cut off income.
- The Dutch Data Protection Authority said Aug. 21, 2025, that it fined Uber €825 million, about $966 million.
- Regulators said Uber used automated systems to deactivate driver accounts without adequately informing drivers or providing sufficient human review.
- The authority said the deactivations could leave drivers suddenly without income and called the conduct a serious GDPR infringement.
- Uber said it strongly disagreed with the decision, called the fine disproportionate and said it would appeal.
The Dutch Data Protection Authority said Uber committed serious infringements by relying on automated software to suspend driver accounts, sometimes permanently, without enough human review to catch mistakes. Monique Verdier, the regulator's deputy chair, said drivers could be left with no income "from one moment to the next" and that "a computer should not make decisions on its own" when the stakes are that high.
The case lands at the center of the EU's rules on automated decision-making. GDPR Article 22 limits decisions based solely on automated processing when they have legal or similarly significant effects, subject to exceptions and safeguards.
A separate AP report said the fine was one of the largest privacy penalties in Europe. Uber said it strongly disagreed with the decision and planned to appeal, arguing that its processes are designed to protect safety and that humans review appeals.
Uber's own materials say appeals are reviewed by a real person and that automated and manual systems are used in fraud detection and account-access decisions. The Dutch authority is Uber's lead supervisory authority in the EU because the company's European headquarters are in the Netherlands.
By the numbers
- €825 million - the fine the Dutch Data Protection Authority said it imposed on Uber.
- $966 million - the regulator's conversion of the penalty into U.S. dollars.
- GDPR Article 22 - the EU provision limiting certain automated decisions with significant effects.
Yes, but: Uber can appeal, and the company says humans review appeals and that its systems are designed to protect safety and combat fraud.
What's next: Uber said it will appeal the fine. The case will likely move into the Dutch appeals process.