Dutch watchdog fines Uber nearly $1 billion

The US ride-hailing company allegedly broke EU laws by using a fully automated system to review and ban drivers The Dutch Data Protection Authority (AP) has fined US ride-hailing company Uber €825 million ($964 million) for using automated systems to suspend drivers suspected of fraud or given low customer ratings without adequate human review.The watchdog found that Uber’s use of automated decision-making to suspend drivers between 2018 and 2022 violated the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).Tensions are mounting between Washington and Brussels over multi-billion-dollar fines imposed on American tech giants, with US President Donald Trump recently threatening tariffs in response to what he has described as unfair treatment of US firms.In a statement on Friday, the AP said Uber had violated EU privacy rules by using a fully automated system to suspend drivers suspected of fraud or those who received low customer ratings.“Uber has committed serious infringements,” AP vice president Monique Verdier said in the statement. Drivers were summarily suspended and had their incomes cut off, she said. “That’s forbidden. A computer is not allowed to make independent decisions tha...