Uber negotiated a huge cut to a $59 million fine it received for refusing to share data about sexual assaults on its service
- Uber was fined $59 million last year for refusing to disclose data on 3,000 sexual-assault reports.
- The company negotiated that fine down to $150,000 and won't have to disclose identifiable data.
- Uber will also donate $9 million to a victims' relief fund and toward improving the industry.
Uber negotiated a huge cut to a $59 million regulatory fine it was handed for refusing to disclose data about sexual assaults on its service.
The California Public Utilities Commission levied the fine in December after Uber refused to turn over data related to more than 3,000 reports of sexual assaults from users of its service in 2018. They were mentioned in Uber's 2019 safety report, but the company did not give victims' names and contact information to the CPUC when asked.
A CPUC filing published on Thursday showed that the commission had reached a preliminary agreement with Uber that would require it to pay a fine of only $150,000. Further, under the agreement, Uber wouldn't be forced to give victims' names to the CPUC but would provide anonymized data about sexual assaults on its service.
Uber also agreed to donate $4 million to the California Victim Compensation Board and $5 million toward addressing sexual assaults in the industry, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.
The CPUC filing said the commission would make similar data demands of other ride-hailing companies.
"We look forward to continued collaboration with the commission to shine a light on this societal issue and help set the standard for safety and transparency in our industry," Uber's chief legal officer, Tony West, said in a statement to Bloomberg.
Uber did not immediately reply to Insider's request for comment.