Ride hailing service Uber agreed to pay a USD 148 million penalty over a massive 2016 data breach which the company concealed for a year, the company and state officials announced Wednesday. The agreement stems from a breach affecting some 57 million Uber riders and drivers disclosed by the California company, prompting litigation that was eventually joined by officials from the 50 US states and the District of Columbia.

"New Yorkers deserve to know that their personal information will be protected -- period," New York Attorney General Barbara Underwood said in a statement. "This record settlement should send a clear message: we have zero tolerance for those who skirt the law and leave consumer and employee information vulnerable to exploitation." Uber learned of the breach in November 2016 involving personal information on riders and drivers, nearly half in the United States.