The Vermont Attorney General says a settlement has been reached between 36 attorneys general across the country and General Motors over the use of drivers’ private data.
General Motors will pay $220 million dollars to settle allegations that the company illegally sold consumers’ private driver behavior data and location information to third parties, including data brokers who then sold the information to insurance companies. From 2016 to 2024 GM enrolled drivers in its Smart Driver program to track and improve safe driving habits. Customers were told the data would not be shared without consent.
Vermont Attorney General Charity Clark says the settlement “puts corporations on notice that your data is yours and not a resource to be bought and sold without your consent.”
In a statement, a GM spokesman says in part: “This agreement ... reinforces steps we’ve taken to strengthen our privacy practices.”
Vermont will receive $4.54 million dollars from the settlement. Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and New York are also included in the settlement.
