GoKawiilGM to pay $220 million settling 36-state suit over OnStar Smart Driver data sales
General Motors has settled a lawsuit from 35 state attorneys general and Washington, D.C. over its OnStar Smart Driver program, agreeing to pay $220 million. Investigators found GM tracked driving behavior like speeding and hard braking from millions of customers between 2016 and 2024 and sold that data to brokers for insurance purposes, often without clear consent, and sometimes continued selling data on drivers it had mistakenly told were unenrolled. As part of the settlement, GM must limit data collection, undergo privacy audits, and add dealership training.
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The size of the settlement signals growing regulatory willingness to penalize automakers for opaque data practices tied to connected-car features. It follows an FTC order earlier this year barring GM from sharing certain driver data with third parties for five years, suggesting mounting pressure on the industry to rethink how vehicle telematics data is monetized and disclosed to consumers.
- GM will pay $220 million to settle claims from 35 states and D.C. over its OnStar Smart Driver program.
- The program tracked driving habits and sold data to insurers, sometimes without proper customer consent.
- GM must now limit data collection, undergo privacy assessments, and add dealership oversight and training.
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Published there as: “General Motors agrees to pay $220 million to settle multi-state data privacy lawsuit”
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