Dutch regulator fines Uber $966m for automating driver suspensions

European regulators have imposed billions in penalties on US technology companies due to privacy, competition and digital market rules The Dutch data protection authority has fined ⁠Uber €825m ($966m) for deactivating driver ⁠accounts through automated systems without ​adequately informing them, according to a 17 August decision. The penalty would be the second-largest issued yet under Europe’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). It is behind only a €1.2bn ($1.4bn) fine ⁠imposed on Meta by Ireland in 2023 for unlawfully transferring European Facebook users’ data to the United States. Meta is appealing. “We strongly disagree with this decision and disproportionate fine,” a spokesperson ⁠said, adding that the company takes drivers’ rights seriously and its policies include both human reviews and opportunities for drivers to dispute platform suspensions. The Dutch ​authority confirmed the decision later on Friday. “Uber has committed ‌serious infringements” by deactivating driver accounts without ‌warning or human involvement, the organization’s deputy chair Monique Verdier said in a statement. “From one moment to the next they no longer ‌had any income … A computer should not