Dutch regulator fines Uber $966m for automating driver suspensions
Saturday, 22 August 2026
Warm-up
- What should happen before a company blocks a worker’s account?
- When is it fair for software to decide something about your job?
- Have you ever filed an appeal? What made it successful or not?
Vocabulary
- regulator
- an official authority that makes and enforces rules for an industry
- automate
- to use computer systems to do tasks without human control
- suspend
- to temporarily stop someone from using a service or doing a job
- deactivate
- to turn off or close an account so it cannot be used
- GDPR
- the EU’s data protection law that controls how personal data is used
- appeal
- to ask a higher authority to change or cancel a decision
- algorithm
- a set of computer rules that makes decisions or solves problems
- turnover
- a company’s total money from sales in a period
Reading
The Dutch Data Protection Authority fined Uber €825m ($966m) on 17 August for deactivating driver accounts through automated systems without adequately informing them. It is the second‑largest penalty under GDPR, after a €1.2bn fine on Meta in 2023. Uber said it will appeal.
The regulator said Uber committed serious infringements by shutting off access without warning or human involvement, which could suddenly remove drivers’ income. GDPR bans decisions made solely by algorithms when they significantly affect people’s work, and requires meaningful human review and a way to challenge a decision.
The case covers European incidents from 2018 to 2022, starting with a French complaint and handled in the Netherlands because Uber’s European headquarters are there. Uber said fraud checks led to brief suspensions when its systems flagged detours to inflate fares or accepting trips not meant to be completed, and that permanent deactivation was not automated. The agency reported some drivers with very low ratings were permanently deactivated by computer. Uber said only 126 drivers were deactivated in 2021 for low ratings. The fine was set as a fraction of Uber’s 2025 turnover. Swiss group PersonalData.IO welcomed the decision and plans a class action for compensation.
Comprehension
- Why did the Dutch authority fine Uber?
- What makes the fine notable under GDPR?
- What period and region does the case cover?
- How do Uber and the agency differ on permanent deactivations?
- How was the amount of the fine calculated?
Grammar focus
Wish / if only
Use 'wish' or 'if only' to talk about regrets or hopes. Use past tense after wish for present wishes (wish + past), had + past participle for past regrets, and wish + would for wanting future change. (Examples constructed.)
- Drivers wish they had been told why their accounts were deactivated.
- If only there had been a human review before suspensions.
Grammar exercise
Complete the sentences with the correct form of the verb in brackets.
- Drivers wish they (know) ___ the reason for suspensions.
- Some wish they (have) ___ a clearer appeal process last year.
- If only platforms (provide) ___ human review before deactivation.
- Drivers wish the regulator (act) ___ sooner to protect incomes.
- Many wish companies (stop) ___ using only automated decisions.
Discussion
- Should algorithms ever decide who can work on a platform? Why or why not?
- What information should workers receive when an account is suspended?
- Is an appeal process enough protection, or is more review needed?
- How should fines be set so they change company behaviour?
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