Uber is on the hook for an $8.9 million fine in Colorado after state regulators discovered flaws in the company’s background check process that led to the hiring of 57 people even though they lacked valid driver’s licenses or had committed offenses that would have otherwise disqualified them from becoming drivers. The ride-sharing service has since come out with a statement, admitting that it had recently discovered errors in its background check process in the state and has started working on the matter to correct the issue.

Uber has seen better days

The $8.9 million fine imposed by Colorado regulators came as a result of a probe conducted by the Colorado Public Utilities Commission. The commission discovered that Uber had hired 12 drivers with felony convictions, 17 drivers with major-moving vehicle violations, and three drivers with recent drunk-driving convictions. “PUC staff was able to find felony convictions that the company’s background checks failed to find, demonstrating that the company’s background checks are inadequate,” commission director Doug Dean said in a statement. “In other cases, we could not confirm criminal background checks were even conducted by Uber.”

According to the commission, one of these drivers was a “convicted felon, habitual offender, and at one point in his past had escaped from the Colorado Department of Corrections.” Even with that kind of track record, the person eventually became an Uber driver.

This is not a good look for Uber, but if we’re really being honest, it’s not like Uber has a glowing track record of being a model company. The ride-sharing service has had tumultuous time in recent years, particularly when it comes to following federal laws and creating a positive working environment within the company. It’s been subjected to numerous investigations on allegations of breaking bribery laws, sexual harassment, and a host of other misgivings that forced former CEO Travis Kalanick to give up his position in the company.

New issue comes to light

To make things worse, a new report published by Bloomberg has added more salt to the wounds of the company. According to the report, Uber paid hackers up to $100,000 to cover up an October 2016 cyberattack that exposed the personal data of 57 million people, including riders and drivers. Among the information stolen included names, emails, and phone numbers of seven million drivers and 50 million riders all over the world. Not surprisingly, New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman was quick to jump in by opening an investigation into how Uber handled the cyber breach.

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