A California judge on Monday fined Uber Technologies Inc. $ 59 million and threatened to suspend its license to operate in the state if it did not pay the ride-greeting fine and respond to regulators’ questions within 30 days.
Last December, executive law judge Uber Uber ordered,
To answer questions about the California Public Utilities Commission’s long-awaited safety report, it lists thousands of sexual assaults during rides from 2017-’19. The CPUC, which regulates riding in California, wanted more information on how the report was compiled and specific details about the attacks, so they could be investigated by the government.
Uber refused to comply, saying it would infringe on victims’ privacy, even after a judge said earlier this year that the company could exchange information under the label to protect confidentiality. The judge agreed Monday that Uber could use identifiers other than names to protect the victims’ anonymity.
“The CPUC has been insisting in its demands that the full names and contact details of survivors of sexual violence be released without their consent,” Uber said in an email to MarketWatch. “We opposed the shocking privacy violation, along with many victims’ rights advocates. Now, a year later, the CPUC has changed its course: we can provide anonymous information – however, we are being fined $ 59 million for non-compliance with the CPUC’s modified order.”
An Uber spokesman said the company was looking into its next steps.
In a 92-page judgment on Monday, CPUC executive law judge Robert Mason said Uber’s arguments were “not true and legally sufficient” and that the CPUC had a legal right to information.
“It simply came to our notice then [with the previous rulings] California law violates the privacy of victims of sexual violence designed to protect them, ”Mason said. “Instead of pretending to be a victim of a disciplinary violation, Uber has a role to play in preventing it from performing its regulatory, investigative and enforcement duties.”
The $ 59 million violation was based on a $ 7,500 fine because Uber failed to comply every day.
“Uber is a billion-dollar business that is easy to pay for … Ridership has undoubtedly declined even during an epidemic,” the order said.
Uber has a history of playing fast and loose with local laws and regulations, despite current CEO Tara Kosroshahi taking steps to control the company’s behavior.
The judge also ruled that Uber’s track record was “less than a star” in protecting confidential driver and passenger information, citing 2016 data breaches that approached the data of 57 million Uber users and drivers.