Updated, 3:55p.m.: This article was updated with communication from GM.
According to a GM spokesperson: “This agreement addresses Smart Driver, a product we ended in 2024, and reinforces steps we’ve taken to strengthen our privacy practices. Safer, more helpful and personalized experiences are enabled by connected vehicle data, and GM is committed to being clear about what information is used, how it’s protected, and the choices customers have about what they share.”
General Motors said it discontinued its Smart Driver program in June 2024 and described the new agreement as consistent with earlier settlements with the Federal Trade Commission and California. The company noted that privacy advocates and policymakers praised the FTC order as a step forward for driver privacy and a potential model for the auto industry.
GM said it does not sell vehicle information linked to individual customers, their locations or driving behavior, though it may share de-identified data with select partners for purposes such as improving roads and traffic safety. The company said it has strengthened privacy practices over the past two years by updating its U.S. privacy statement, launching a customer Privacy Center, extending privacy rights to customers in all 50 states and improving internal controls for connected vehicle data.
Previously:
MITCHELL, SD (Mitchell Now) South Dakota will receive $2,600,792 from General Motors under a multistate settlement resolving allegations the automaker sold consumers’ driving behavior and location data without properly informing them, Attorney General Marty Jackley announced.
According to Jackley’s announcement, GM enrolled millions of drivers nationwide in its Smart Driver program between 2016 and 2024. The program tracked driving habits, and the company allegedly sold that information to data brokers under contracts specifying its use for insurance products.
The brokers then sold the information to insurance companies, which could use it to adjust drivers’ premiums. Drivers were not told their information would be sold for that purpose, according to the announcement.
The settlement requires express consent before GM collects or discloses consumers’ driving behavior and location information.
Consumers must also have options to request copies of their collected data, delete that information and disable collection of precise location and driving behavior data.
South Dakota’s payment will go into the attorney general’s Consumer Protection Fund. The money may cover investigation and litigation expenses, support future consumer protection efforts and fund other uses allowed under state law.
Jackley was among 36 attorneys general involved in the settlement, which was led by Washington and Oregon.