Dutch Data Protection Authority Fines EUR 290 Mln On Uber

(RTTNews) - The Dutch Data Protection Authority or DPA announced on Monday that it has imposed a fine of 290 million euros on Uber Technologies, Inc. (UBER) for transferring personal data of European taxi drivers to the U.S. DPA said it is a serious violation of the General Data Protection Regulation or GDPR.

The American multinational transportation company that provides ride-hailing services, courier services, food delivery, and freight transport failed to appropriately safeguard the data with regard to these transfers, the authority added.

The Dutch DPA further noted that Uber has objected to this fine.

Aleid Wolfsen, Dutch DPA Chairman, said: "In Europe, the GDPR protects the fundamental rights of people, by requiring businesses and governments to handle personal data with due care. But sadly, this is not self-evident outside Europe. Uber did not meet the requirements of the GDPR to ensure the level of protection to the data with regard to transfers to the US. That is very serious."

For a period of two years, the sensitive information that had been transferred to the U.S. includes account details, taxi licenses, location data, photos, payment details, identity documents, and others.

The Dutch DPA started the probe on Uber after over 170 French drivers complained to the French human rights interest group the Ligue des droits de l'Homme or LDH, which subsequently submitted a complaint to the French DPA.

This is the third fine that the Dutch DPA imposes on Uber after it had fined 600,000 euros in 2018, followed by a fine of 10 million euros in 2023.