The Canada Brief

Tech · 4 d ago

Renaissance Center, Detroit

Patricia Drury · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

GM to pay US$220 million to settle states' data-privacy lawsuit

The attorneys general of 35 states and the District of Columbia sued over GM's Smart Driver program, which logged hard braking, late-night driving and speeding. They said GM sold the data to brokers for insurance without telling customers, and some drivers saw higher premiums.

Told they were not enrolled

370,000 drivers

The attorneys general said more than 370,000 drivers were told they were not enrolled in Smart Driver when they were, and their data was still sold.

What GM must do

  • Limit the driving data it collects
  • Protect customers' personal information
  • Pass internal and external privacy reviews
  • Train dealerships, under oversight

As part of the settlement, GM must limit the driving data it collects, protect personal information and submit to internal and external privacy assessments.

GM said it ended Smart Driver in 2024. Earlier this year the Federal Trade Commission banned the company from sharing some driver data with third parties for five years, and California settled with GM for US$12.75 million in May.