Uber Slapped With A Rs 433.9 Crore Fine For Failing To Answer About Sexual Assaults On Its Rides

On Monday, Uber was slapped with a $59 million fine (Rs 433.9 crore) after California regulators determined that the firm failed to have an adequate response to questions around a report that detailed thousands of sexual assaults occurring during rides taken with Uber.

The San Francisco Chronicle reported that the order states that the company will have to pay off the fine within 30 days. Otherwise, it may have to halt all of its operations in California until it pays the fine and answers regulators’ questions adequately.

The dispute arose from demands by regulators who are requiring Uber to hand over detailed data on the sexual assault cases as well as harassment claims between riders and drivers. The Mondy ruling declared the decision on a $59 million fine, consisting of a $7,500 fine for each case in which Uber failed to answer a question in the process.

In December 2019, Uber released a safety report that logged 3,045 sexual assaults along with 9 murders in ride shares in the United States from 2017 to 2018.

However, the company has repeatedly expressed its desire to protect victims’ privacy when it denied to turn over further information. At the same time, several advocacy groups for the victims supported this move with claims that there was no guarantee that info would be secure with regulators.

In a statement, Uber said that the California Public Utilities Commission has been insistent in demanding that it release the contact information and full names of sexual assault survivors without their permission, which the company said is a shocking violation of privacy.

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