Georgia part of $148M Uber settlement reached over data breach

ATLANTA — Uber has reached a $148 million settlement in a nationwide lawsuit and said it will take steps to tighten data security after the ride-share service failed to notify drivers of a data breach in 2016.

Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr announced the settlement Wednesday between Uber Technologies Inc. and all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

Georgia will receive more than $4.1 million of the settlement.

“To help mitigate these risks, it is critical that victims be informed of a breach in a timely manner. In this case, they were not, and we worked with our colleagues to hold the responsible party accountable and protect the interests of our citizens," Carr said in a release Wednesday.

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Uber learned in November 2016 that hackers had accessed personal data for almost 600,000 Uber drivers in the U.S. The company didn't acknowledge the breach until a year later.

Tony West, chief legal officer for Uber, said that the settlement was "the right thing to do."

"It embodies the principles by which we are running our business today: transparency, integrity, and accountability," West said.

Information stolen in the hack also included names, email addresses and cell phone number of 57 million riders.

All 50 states and the District of Columbia sued Uber, saying the company violated laws requiring it to promptly notify people affected by the breach.

Information from the Associated Press was used in this report. 

WSBTV