Britain and the Netherlands fine Uber more than $1m for 2016 data hack
British and Dutch regulators say the ride-hailing company failed to protect customers’ private data
British and Dutch regulators have fined ride-hailing service Uber for failing to protect customers’ personal information during a 2016 cyber attack involving millions of users. Names, mobile phone numbers and e-mail addresses were compromised in the breach, which involved 57-million users worldwide. That included 2.7-million user accounts in Britain, representing the vast majority of people using the ride-hailing service in the country. The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) in Britain fined the company £385,000 on Tuesday, while the Dutch Data Protection Authority (DPA) imposed a €600,000 fine. “This was not only a serious failure of data security on Uber’s part, but a complete disregard for the customers and drivers, whose personal information was stolen,” ICO director of investigations Steve Eckersley said. “At the time, no steps were taken to inform anyone affected by the breach, or to offer help and support. That left them vulnerable.” The ICO also said the records of almo...
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