Iowa sues GM over vehicle data collection and sale
Iowa's attorney general sued General Motors, alleging the company illegally collected and sold vehicle data from Iowans to insurance companies without consent, who then used it to adjust coverage and rates. GM discontinued the Smart Driver program in 2024 and previously settled federal charges about unauthorized data sharing.
What happened
General Motors installed tracking systems in its vehicles starting in 2015 that collected data on speed, seatbelt usage, driving habits, and location from the Smart Driver program. GM sold this data to third-party brokers, who then sold it to insurance companies, without customers' knowledge or consent.
Reported impact
Insurance companies used the data to raise rates, deny coverage, or cancel policies for Iowans affected by the data collection.
Governance controls
GM discontinued the Smart Driver program in 2024 due to customer feedback. In January 2025, the company was banned for five years from disclosing data collected from drivers to consumer reporting agencies as part of a settlement with the government.
Classification
Sources and evidence
Sources not yet published
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