Texas Sues GM for Collecting Driving Data without Consent
Texas is suing General Motors for collecting driver data without consent and then selling it to insurance companies:
From CNN:
In car models from 2015 and later, the Detroit-based car manufacturer allegedly used technology to “collect, record, analyze, and transmit highly detailed driving data about each time a driver used their vehicle,” according to the AG’s statement.
General Motors sold this information to several other companies, including to at least two companies for the purpose of generating “Driving Scores” about GM’s customers, the AG alleged. The suit said those two companies then sold these scores to insurance companies.
Insurance companies can use data to see how many times people exceeded a speed limit or obeyed other traffic laws. Some insurance firms ask customers if they want to voluntarily opt-in to such programs, promising lower rates for safer drivers.
But the attorney general’s office claimed GM “deceived” its Texan customers by encouraging them to enroll in programs such as OnStar Smart Driver. But by agreeing to join these programs, customers also unknowingly agreed to the collection and sale of their data, the attorney general’s office said.
Press release. Court filing. Slashdot thread.
Sidebar photo of Bruce Schneier by Joe MacInnis.
