Private Ordering of Online Platforms in Smart Urban Mobility: The Case of Uber’s Rating System

Abstract

Rating and review systems are a self-regulatory mechanism widely used by online platforms, especially in the smart mobility sector. Such systems have already been analysed in empirical studies and legal contributions, in particular in the fields of consumer law, labour law and competition law.

This chapter aims to make an original contribution to the current debate from a relatively underinvestigated perspective: how rating and review systems interact with the European data protection framework. As a case study, the chapter will focus on the rating system adopted by Uber, one of the largest shared mobility platforms worldwide.

Keywords: Online Platforms, Private ordering, Uber, Rating, Reviews, Data Protection, Automated decision-making, Art. 22 GDPR