Uber is paying a $9 million settlement fee after refusing to disclose information about sexual assault and harassment to the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC).
According to CPUC, the $9 million settlement fee, which was reduced from the original $59 million, will be used to promote passenger safety.
$5 million will be spent on victims of violence and sexual violence, especially those who were passengers. $4 million will be spent on combating violence in the “passenger carrier industry.” Uber will then pay an additional $150,000 to the California General Fund. In addition, Uber will in future provide California officials with reports with “unique identifiers,” instead of victims’ names to protect their identities and ensure that they remain anonymous if they wish to disclose further information.
In the nearly two-year legal battle, CPUC asked Uber to release records of reported incidents involving its drivers, but Uber disagreed that providing such information could cause emotional trauma to victims and also violate their privacy.