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The business logo for Uber Technologies Inc is seen on a screen at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York, United States, on May 10, 2019. REUTERS/File Photo/Brendan McDermid 15 JULY (Reuters) – Uber Technologies Inc (UBER.N) and a California regulator reached a tentative agreement on Thursday to share data on sexual assault and harassment accusations on its platform while respecting the privacy of victims and averting a $59 million fine. The penalty would be cut to $150,000 under the plan contained in a regulatory filing with the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), but Uber would pay $9 million to assist a state victims’ fund and help implement industry-wide safety and reporting requirements. In a statement, Uber’s chief legal officer, Tony West, said, “We’ve been able to discover a path ahead that maintains the privacy and agency of sexual assault survivors.” Uber was penalized by the CPUC in December after the firm declined to reveal victims’ full names and contact information, claiming that doing so would violate their right to privacy. find out more The disagreement originates from a safety report provided by Uber in December 2019, which revealed 6,000 claims of sexual assault involving 2.3 billion journeys in the United States between 2017 and 2018. The study, which was intended to reassure drivers and the general public that Uber was concerned about safety, has thrown the firm into the limelight. Lyft Inc (LYFT.O), a rival ride-hailing business, has promised a similar report, but has said it will wait for the CPUC procedures to be completed before publishing its data. Uber, a section of the CPUC and an anti-sexual abuse organization, suggested an arrangement in which Uber would give the agency with anonymized data on previous assaults. Uber will continue to give anonymised data in the future, but users will have the option of opting in to be contacted by the CPUC when they file a claim. All California ride-hailing businesses, including Lyft, would be required to comply with future data demands. The agreement must be approved by an administrative judge and the commission as a whole. Tina Bellon contributed reporting from Austin, Texas, and Leslie Adler edited the piece. The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles are our standards./nRead More

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