Uber data breach settlement results in $4.1M for Georgia
Georgia's government will receive $4.1 million as part of a nationwide settlement with Uber over a large data breach of its drivers' information.
The money is Georgia’s share of a $148 million agreement announced Wednesday between the ride-hailing company and all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
Uber was accused of hiding evidence that hackers had stolen personal information of about 600,000 drivers in 2016. Uber has said it paid a $100,000 ransom for the stolen information to be destroyed, but the company didn’t notify its drivers for a year.
Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr said the victims of the Uber data breach deserved to be informed when their credit, finances and employment was endangered.
"To help mitigate these risks, it is critical that victims be informed of a breach in a timely manner," Carr said. "In this case, they were not, and we worked with our colleagues to hold the responsible party accountable."
Under the settlement with Georgia, Uber must take precautions to protect user data, enact strong password policies for employees to access its network, implement a data security policy, hire an outside party to assess data security efforts and develop a corporate integrity program.
The settlement money will be deposited into Georgia’s general fund for appropriation by the General Assembly.
About the Author
Mark Niesse is an enterprise reporter and covers elections and Georgia government for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and is considered an expert on elections and voting. Before joining the AJC, he worked for The Associated Press in Atlanta, Honolulu and Montgomery, Alabama. He also reported for The Daily Report and The Santiago Times in Chile.
