Uber fined nearly US $ 500,000 for security reasons

The United Kingdom Information Commissioner's Office today sentences a US transport company to a fine. Uber with about $ 500,000 for "failing to protect the personal information of its customers during a cyberattack".

The body, which is part of the British Parliament and monitors citizens' right to information and privacy, today announced the penalty imposed on the taxi company for: "Preventable security breaches" caused data leakage from about 2.7 million UK customers.

The download was made in 2016 by two people outside the company, who were made with data from millions of customers and drivers, including their names, phone numbers and email addresses.

In addition, information from approximately 82,000 UK drivers, containing detailed information on travel and payments received, was also disclosed during the attack, conducted in October and November 2016.

Customers and company drivers were not informed of what had happened until a year later.

The director of investigations at ICO, Steve Eckersley, said today that it was "not only a serious breach of security by Uber, but also of a total disregard for customers and drivers whose personal information has been stolen ".

"At the time, no action was taken to inform those affected by the crime or to offer help and support, which left them in a vulnerable situation," he said. -he adds.

The General Data Protection Regulation, promoted by the European Union and entered into force in 2018, provides for fines for companies that hide data leaks and do not report them in less than 72 hours.