Platform economy database
Database of initiatives and court cases in the EU
Eurofound’s platform economy database provides information on 411 initiatives and court cases that exist or have been implemented in relation to activities in the platform economy. The database was last updated in March 2025 and provides metadata for each entry, such as geographical scope, year, type of initiative, actors involved, sector and companies concerned. Initiatives include legal instruments such as legislative changes or court decisions, as well as voluntary interventions undertaken by different stakeholders to address issues around platform work.
Tag
Active
France,
Netherlands
The Dutch Data Protection Authority (DPA) fined Uber €290 million for violating the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Uber transferred sensitive personal data of European drivers (including location data, photos, payment details, and even criminal and medical data) to the US without adequate safeguards. This happened for over two years, initially without using any transfer tools, and later without using Standard Contractual Clauses after the invalidation of the EU-US Privacy Shield in 2020. This left the data vulnerable and insufficiently protected.
The investigation was initiated after complaints from over 170 French Uber drivers, who reached out to the French human rights group, Ligue des droits de l’Homme (LDH), which subsequently submitted a complaint to the French DPA. As Uber's European headquarters is in the Netherlands, the Dutch DPA acted as the Lead Supervisory Authority and co-ordinated the investigation and decision with other European DPAs.
Uber has since rectified the issue by adopting the successor to the Privacy Shield. However, the company has indicated its intention to object to the €290 million fine, which was calculated based on Uber's worldwide annual turnover. This is the third time the Dutch DPA has fined Uber for data protection violations, with previous fines imposed in 2018 (€600,000) and 2023 (€10 million). Uber has also objected to the 2023 fine.
The platform economy is one of those moving targets, which, despite receiving increasing media and policy attention, has proven difficult to regulate. Given the heterogeneity of employment relationships, business models, types of platform work and cross-border issues, this is not surprising.
Technological change is accelerating as the capacity of electronic devices to digitally store, process and communicate information expands. Digitalisation is transforming the EU economy and labour markets: nearly one-third of EU workplaces are categorised as highly digitalised. What are the implications of the digital revolution for employment and work?
The rapid rise of the platform economy has led to a marked transformation of European labour markets, and existing regulatory frameworks and voluntary initiatives have yet to catch up. While platform work offers opportunities for workers and employers and potentially contributes to innovation, economic growth and competitiveness in the EU, it has been criticised from the beginning because of the poor employment and working conditions often experienced by workers.
While 2020 may come to be seen as the year platform work gathered pace and started to go mainstream – thanks in large part to COVID-19 containment measures sparking an increase in food and grocery delivery – 2021 could be the year that regulation of platform work is set in motion.
