Lieferando apparently monitors its delivery staff

According to a media report, the food supplier is tracking its riders every meter of the way. It faces a fine of up to 96 million euros.

Lieferando is said to monitor the journeys of its delivery drivers every second. This is according to data analyzed by Bayerischer Rundfunk. The public broadcaster has the data information from drivers that they have requested from Lieferando in accordance with the GDPR. Lieferando uses the Scoober app to process deliveries. This app collects 39 data points for each trip. The app can therefore track how fast the riders are traveling to the second, and if they are late, this is noted. According to BR, the riders' data is also stored on a personal basis. Fully employed riders collect up to 100,000 data points in a year, reports BR. The data is also said to go back as far as 2018.

"In our view, this is total surveillance. We think it is completely disproportionate," Semih Yalcin, Chairman of the Lieferando General Works Council for Germany, told BR. In addition, one rider complained to the data protection officer of Baden-Württemberg. Stefan Brink told BR: "This is a very close-meshed monitoring of the employment relationship that takes place there." The exact location of the riders is passed on every 15 to 20 seconds. According to the data protection officer, this leads to so-called tracking, i.e. "permanent monitoring of work performance", which in his view is "clearly unlawful". The app also sends personal data to Google. His authority could "not see any legal basis" for this either.

Lieferando sees no problem with this. A spokesperson for BR said that the app complies with all applicable data protection regulations. The data would also not be used to monitor performance. Because Lieferando is a subsidiary of Dutch company Just Eat Takeaway, the Dutch data protection authority must now investigate the allegations. "This case is a maximum offense. I expect a possible fine for Lieferando or 'Just Eat Takeaway' in the double-digit millions," Brink told BR. He has already forwarded the accusations to his Dutch colleagues. The GDPR stipulates penalties of up to four percent of annual global turnover. Accordingly, Lieferando could face a fine of up to 96 million euros.