Washington AG files lawsuit against Uber over major data breach
Nov 28, 2017, 2:07 PM
Rideshare giant Uber continues its push for congestion tolling in Seattle. (AP)
(AP)
Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson has filed a multi-million dollar lawsuit against rideshare company Uber after it allegedly failed to notify its users of a major data breach.
“Washington law is clear: When a data breach puts people at risk, businesses must inform them,” Ferguson said. “Uber’s conduct has been truly stunning. There is no excuse for keeping this information from consumers.”
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The attorney general’s office alleges that Uber did not notify its drivers within 45 days of a 2016 data breach. The lawsuit is asking for $2,000 per violation in civil penalties. A total of 10,888 Washington drivers’ information was accessed, meaning the penalties could add up to more than $21.8 million.
An outside party accessed information for 50 million Uber users from around the world. According to the attorney general’s office:
In November 2016, an individual contacted Uber claiming he had accessed Uber’s user information. Uber investigated and confirmed that person and one other individual had in fact accessed the company’s files, including the names, email addresses and telephone numbers of about 50 million passengers worldwide … the hackers also obtained the names and driver’s license numbers of about 7 million drivers for the company. About 600,000 of those drivers live in the United States, and at least 10,888 live in Washington.
Washington law states that companies must notify the attorney general and those affected within 45 days of a data breach. On Nov. 21, Uber notified the attorney general’s office — 372 days after the incident.
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