Uber Fined Over $450,000 For Data Storage Policy Violations In France - CNIL

Uber Fined Over $450,000 for Data Storage Policy Violations in France - CNIL

The French National Commission on Information Technology and Freedoms (Commission nationale de l'informatique et des libertes, CNIL) on Thursday said it fined Uber taxi service 400,000 euro (over $458,000) for the violation of user data storage policy.

PARIS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 20th December, 2018) The French National Commission on Information Technology and Freedoms (Commission nationale de l'informatique et des libertes, CNIL) on Thursday said it fined Uber taxi service 400,000 euro (over $458,000) for the violation of user data storage policy.

"In November 2017, Uber reported in media that two individuals have stolen personal information of 57 million service users. Following this, the G29 [group of European organizations similar to CNIL] created a working group to coordinate data protection investigation by different agencies ... The company has not fulfilled its obligations to ensure the security of personal data storage ... CNIL sentenced Uber France SAS, an establishment of Uber Technologies Inc. and Uber B.V, to a fine of 400,000 euro," the CNIL statement said.

Among the total number of users whose information was stolen, 1.4 million people live in France.

CNIL noted that the attack would not have occurred if "some elementary security measures were undertaken."

CNIL further added that previously similar law enforcement steps were undertaken by other countries. The Netherlands fined the company 600,000 euro and the United Kingdom fined 385,000 Pounds (over $488,000).

Uber's privacy policy started raising concerns after the company disclosed information on hundreds of its users and riders to US law enforcement authorities in 2015. It was further revealed that after the 2016 breach that affected 57 million users, Uber paid the hackers instead of reporting to authorities or customers. The breach was disclosed to public only one year later.

Uber is a taxi service that allows users to order a private taxi. The company was created in 2009, and it is headquartered in San Francisco. The Uber services are available in 65 countries. The company receives a commission of 20 percent from every order.