General Motors agreed to pay US$220 million to settle a multi-state lawsuit alleging it unlawfully collected and sold consumers' location and driving-behaviour data to third parties, including data brokers, who sold it onward to insurers in ways that affected the prices drivers paid for insurance. The settlement, co-led by Washington Attorney General Nick Brown, covers GM's "Smart Driver" programme running from 2016 to 2024, when the New York Times exposed the practice: GM allegedly marketed the data-sharing as a safety benefit while telling customers it would not give insurers their data without consent — a promise it then broke. Beyond the fine, GM must obtain affirmative, express consent before collecting or sharing driving-behaviour and location data going forward. The settlement is the strongest regulator signal yet that connected-vehicle data monetisation, if not opt-in, carries enforcement risk.

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