Uber’s US$59mil assault data fine slashed to US$150,000

Uber will instead pay a US$150,000 (RM630,075) fine to CPUC, contribute US$5mil (RM21mil) to the California Victim Compensation Board and put US$4mil (RM16.80mil) toward creating industry-wide safety standards and education, according to a Thursday filing by the CPUC. — AFP

A monster fine levied on Uber Technologies Inc by a California regulator probing sexual assault incidents won’t be so big after all.

After months of wrangling over how to best protect the identity of sexual assault victims and whether a large fine was justified, Uber and the California Public Utilities Commission, or CPUC, have struck a deal. Uber will not pay a US$59mil (RM247.82mil) fine levied by the commission last year, nor will it disclose details that would identify the 3,000 people who said they suffered sexual assaults on its platform in 2018, as outlined in a 2019 company safety report. CPUC had initially asked that the company give the commission the victims’ contact information, and fined Uber when it would not release their names.