# GM to pay $220m to settle connected car data claims with 36 states

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/gm-cracks-the-petty-cash-box-for-multistate-driver-tracking-settlement/
- Published: 2026-10-30T16:48:37+00:00
- Updated: 2026-10-30T19:47:15+00:00
- Original publisher: The Register
- Original article: https://www.theregister.com/security/2026/10/30/gm-cracks-the-petty-cash-box-for-multistate-driver-tracking-settlement/5306721
- Topics: Software

## Key points

- GM will pay $220 million to settle driver data allegations.
- Investigators say data was sold to insurers through brokers.
- More than 370,000 drivers were wrongly told they were not enrolled.

## Summary

General Motors has agreed to pay $220 million to 36 state and district attorneys general to settle allegations that it collected drivers’ data without proper consent and sold it through brokers to insurers. The case highlights how connected-car information, including location and driving behaviour, can affect insurance decisions, and raises questions about whether customers understood how their data was being used.

Investigators said GM’s Smart Driver programme gathered precise location, speed, seatbelt use and other information, while some drivers were enrolled without their knowledge. The OnStar app incorrectly told more than 370,000 drivers they were not enrolled, even as their data was collected and sold. GM ended the programme in April 2024 and has agreed to limit data collection, protect personal information and establish a privacy programme; the $220 million will be shared among the participating jurisdictions.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.