Dutch regulators on Wednesday imposed a 10 million euro ($10.8 million) fine on ride-hailing app Uber for lack of transparency in treating the personal data of its drivers.
The Dutch Data Protection Authority (DPA) said it imposed the fine after 170 French drivers complained to a French human rights organisation.
The complaint was handled in the Netherlands because it is where Uber has it European headquarters.
“The DPA found that Uber had made it unnecessarily complicated for drivers to submit requests to view or receive copies of their personal data,” the authority said in a statement.
DPA said the process for drivers to request access to their data “was located deep within the app and spread across various menus.”
“In addition, they did not specify in their privacy terms and conditions how long Uber retains its drivers’ personal data or which specific security measures it takes when sending this information to entities in countries outside the European Economic Area,” it said.
Uber has taken steps to improve the situation and has appealed the decision, the statement said.
The company said in a statement that the DPA had “acknowledged that Uber fixed the small number of ‘low impact’ issues raised by the drivers, while dismissing the vast majority of their claims as unfounded.”
“We are committed to continuously improving our data request processes and will always cooperate constructively with the authorities to address their concerns,” Uber added.
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