Ride-hailing giant Uber fined $1.2 billion for suspending driver accounts

AMSTERDAM - The Netherlands has fined ride-hailing giant Uber €825 million (S$1.2 billion) for having deactivated drivers’ accounts without informing them.A spokesperson at the Dutch data protection authority on Aug 21 confirmed the judgement, which had been agreed Aug 17.The ruling is based on European data regulations which state that people should not “be subject to a decision based solely on automated processing”.The case relates to incidents that took place in Europe between 2020 and 2022.It began with a complaint against Uber filed in France, but the case was heard in the Netherlands because the US car-booking giant’s European headquarters are in Amsterdam.Uber said it contests the decision and the “disproportionate” fine, and will appeal. AFP