GM Banned from Selling Your Driving Data for Five Years
fliptop writes:
The order comes after GM was caught selling customer data to third-party data brokers and insurance companies - without consent:
General Motors and its subsidiary OnStar are banned from selling customer geolocation and driving behavior data for five years, the Federal Trade Commission announced Thursday.
The settlement comes after a New York Times investigation found that GM had been collecting micro-details about its customers' driving habits, including acceleration, braking, and trip length - and then selling it to insurance companies and third-party data brokers like LexisNexis and Verisk. Clueless vehicle owners were then left wondering why their insurance premiums were going up.
[...] FTC accused GM of using a "misleading enrollment process" to get vehicle owners to sign up for its OnStar connected vehicle service and Smart Driver feature. The automaker failed to disclose to customers that it was collecting their data, nor did GM seek out their consent to sell it to third parties. After the Times exposed the practice, GM said it was discontinuing its OnStar Smart Driver program.
Also at AP, Detroit Free Press and Engadget.
Previously:
- Connected Cars' Illegal Data Collection and Use Now on FTC's "Radar"
- GM to Leverage Driver Data as it Jumps Back into the Insurance Business
- Law Enforcement Has Been Using OnStar, SiriusXM, to Eavesdrop, Track Car Locations
Read more of this story at SoylentNews.