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- Uber received a $59 million fine last year for refusing to disclose data from 3,000 sexual assaults.
- The company has 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 towards improving the industry.
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Uber has successfully 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 (CPUC) levied the fine in December 2020 after Uber refused to turn over data relating to more than 3,000 sexual assaults on the service in 2018. The assaults were mentioned in Uber's 2019 sexual assault 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 required it to pay a fine of only $150,000. Further, Uber won't be forced to give victims' names to the CPUC but will provide anonymized data about sexual assaults on its service.
As well as the fine, Uber agreed to donate to the CPUC $9 million, of which $4 million will go to the California Victim Compensation Fund and $5 million will go towards addressing sexual assault within the industry, per the San Francisco Chronicle.
The CPUC filing said that the commission would make similar data demands of other rideshare 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 Chief Legal Officer Tony West said in a statement to Bloomberg.
Uber did not immediately reply when contacted by Insider for comment.