The Dutch Data Protection Authority (DPA) has fined Uber a record €290 million ($324 million) for allegedly failing to comply with European Union (E.U.) data protection standards when sending sensitive driver data to the U.S.
“The Dutch DPA found that Uber transferred personal data of European taxi drivers to the United States (U.S.) and failed to appropriately safeguard the data with regard to these transfers,” the agency said.
The data protection watchdog said the move constitutes a “serious” violation of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). In response, the ride-hailing, courier, and food delivery service has ended the practice.
Uber is believed to have collected drivers’ sensitive information and retained it on U.S.-based servers for over two years. This included account details and taxi licenses, location data, photos, payment details, and identity documents. In some cases, it also contained criminal and medical data of drivers
