Carmakers Penalized For Selling Driver Data

California sued General Motors for selling hundreds of thousands of drivers' names, contacts, precise locations, and driving behavior gathered via OnStar to data brokers and reached a $12.75 million settlement. The deal forces GM to delete retained data (within 180 days unless consented) and bans selling driving data to consumer reporting agencies for five years. — This sets a practical precedent for how privacy laws can curb automakers' data‑commerce models and shapes expectations for consumer consent, data deletion, and enforcement remedies across the auto industry.