Deals & regulation
GM agrees to $220 million multistate settlement over driver data practices
General Motors will pay $220 million to settle allegations from 36 states that it sold drivers’ location and driving-behavior data to brokers that supplied insurers. The agreement requires express consent for covered collection and sharing, plus third-party assessment of GM’s privacy compliance. GM ended its Smart Driver program in 2024 and says it will not sell individually linked vehicle information, though anonymized data may still be shared. The settlement highlights privacy risks as automakers add cameras, connectivity and AI assistants to vehicles.
Editorial summary · Publisher article
What matters
- The settlement adds independent assessment of GM’s privacy program beyond consent and transparency requirements.
- Data from the Smart Driver program was reportedly supplied to brokers including LexisNexis and Verisk.
- GM’s forthcoming connected-car features may offer less functionality to customers who decline data sharing.
Context & caveats
- The allegations concern the discontinued Smart Driver program; GM says its current practices do not sell individually linked vehicle data.
Why this made the edition
The settlement has concrete legal and operational consequences for connected-car data practices and includes a new third-party compliance requirement, with relevant context on prior FTC action and future vehicle features.
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