Uber recently revealed that hackers stole data on 57 million passengers and drivers in October 2016, and instead of warning consumers about the breach, the company paid the hackers to stay quiet.
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Predictably, this has pissed a bunch of people off – and now Uber is facing multiple lawsuits over the 2016 breach.
Today, the city of Los Angeles filed suit against Uber, the LA Times reports, joining several US states and cities that have already filed lawsuits against the company. Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer says that Uber violated California law by not quickly disclosing the breach to the public. Companies are required to disclose data breaches that affect Californians “without unreasonable delay”.
But Uber paid $US100,000 ($131,653) to the hackers involved in the data theft and had them sign non-disclosure agreements, suggesting that the company didn’t ever intend to let the public know about the breach. That plan changed under Uber’s new CEO, Dara Khosrowshahi, who disclosed the hack in a blog post. “None of this should have happened, and I will not make excuses for it,” he said.
Another lawsuit, filed by a consumer in Los Angeles, aims to establish a class to represent all the riders and drivers affected by the hack.
Washington is also suing Uber, claiming that the company violated data breach notification law in the US state. Washington requires companies to notify residents within 45 days of a breach if their data is affected. “Washington law is clear: When a data breach puts people at risk, businesses must inform them,” Attorney General Bob Ferguson said in a statement. “Uber’s conduct has been truly stunning. There is no excuse for keeping this information from consumers.” Ferguson confirmed that 10,888 of the drivers included in the breach are Washington residents.
Uber also faces a lawsuit in Chicago, where the company also allegedly violated data breach notification laws.
“We take this matter very seriously and we are happy to answer any questions regulators may have. We are committed to changing the way we do business, putting integrity at the core of every decision we make, and working hard to re-gain the trust of consumers,” an Uber spokesperson said in a statement.
On top of the lawsuits, Uber is also facing multiple inquires from the offices of several US attorneys general, members of Congress, and the US Federal Trade Commission.