The California Public Utilities Commission on Wednesday fined Uber $7.3 million for failing to comply with state reporting requirements for ride-hail companies. Uber has 30 days to pay the fine or risks having its license to operate in California suspended.
Uber plans to appeal the decision which was issued by chief administrative law judge Karen V. Clopton of the California Public Utilities Commission. The suspension will not go into effect until the appeal is either granted or denied.
The charges stem from a failure by Rasier-CA — Uber's parent company — to submit legally required data to the state of California.
According to a statement from an Uber spokesperson, that data — which was required by 2013 ride-hail legislation — could have compromised the privacy of riders and Uber drivers.
"This ruling — and the associated fine — are deeply disappointing," Uber's statement reads. "We will appeal the decision as Uber has already provided substantial amounts of data to the California Public Utilities Commission, information we have provided elsewhere with no complaints. Going further risks compromising the privacy of individual riders as well as driver-partners. These CPUC requests are also beyond the remit of the Commission and will not improve public safety."