General Motors has agreed to pay $12.75 million to settle a California privacy lawsuit — the largest fine ever issued under the California Consumer Privacy Act. The state found that GM collected detailed information about how people drive through its OnStar Smart Driver program, then sold that data to insurance companies and data brokers without clearly telling drivers it was doing so. That data included things like how fast you drove, how hard you braked, and where you went — including sensitive locations like places of worship and medical offices.
The real-world harm was significant: some GM drivers saw their car insurance premiums spike unexpectedly, or were dropped by their insurer entirely, after GM shared this data. As part of the settlement, GM must stop selling driver data for five years, delete stored data after 180 days without consent, and ask data brokers Verisk and LexisNexis to delete what was already sold to them.
How to check if you’re affected
Affected models include GM vehicles from any brand — Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, or Cadillac — that used the OnStar system before 2024. If you owned or currently own one of these, your driving data may have been shared.
- Check your OnStar settings: In your vehicle’s infotainment system or the myChevrolet, myBuick, myGMC, or myCadillac app, look for the OnStar Smart Driver feature and turn it off if it is enabled.
- Contact GM directly: Call GM’s customer service (1-888-4-ONSTAR) to ask what data was collected about you and request deletion.
- Check your insurance: If your car insurance rate went up unexpectedly in recent years, this settlement may help explain why.