Gm, Onstar Sued For Allegedly Selling Driver Data

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Nebraska's Attorney General says his agency is suing General Motors and OnStar for allegedly collecting drivers' information and past trading it to third-party companies without their consent for astatine slightest nan past 10 years. That information would extremity up getting sold to security companies, and sometimes it would lead to complaint increases and moreover canceled security policies.

The lawsuit, revenge by AG Mike Hilgers, says that nan information collected included really accelerated group were driving, really difficult they were stopping, their geolocation and whether aliases not they were wearing seatbelts, according to nan Nebraska Examiner. The suit besides alleges an "aggressive, concerted effort" to enroll buyers into GM products. These efforts led to immoderate drivers being opted into products without their consent successful what Hilgers calls "emotional blackmail." GM made it look that OnStar and different paid services were basal for family and individual information aliases that nan information wouldn't beryllium shared isolated from for "limited circumstances." This doesn't look to beryllium nan case, of course.

It's not precisely clear really overmuch Nebraskans were impacted by GM's alleged practices complete nan past 10 years, but The Examiner says nan suit claims GM delivered astir 19,000 vehicles to nan authorities successful 2023 alone. Considering nan truth that location are, like, 36 group successful Nebraska, this rumor has impacted a awesome woody of them.

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Here are immoderate of nan cardinal allegations against General Motors, according to NBC KSNW:

GM deceived consumers astatine nan constituent of waste by misrepresenting nan quality and scope of nan OnStar-connected services.

Consumers were often misled into believing enrollment successful OnStar was mandatory to entree basal information features.

GM grounded to adequately disclose that enrollment successful its mobile apps aliases Connected Vehicle Services would let nan institution to cod and waste elaborate individual data.

Dealership labor were incentivized to enroll customers without due disclosure and, successful immoderate cases, without obtaining immoderate consent.

Nebraska is apparently seeking civilian penalties ($2,000 per violation), restitution for impacted Nebraskans and an injunction to forestall The General and OnStar from continuing these practices successful nan Cornhusker State. A GM spokesperson told KSNW that nan automaker remains "committed to protecting consumers' privateness and will behaviour a reappraisal of nan complaint."

Nebraska isn't nan only authorities that is presently suing GM. About a twelvemonth ago, we reported that Texas had revenge a akin suit against nan company, alleging that it violated customers' authorities successful "unthinkable ways." If you want to study much astir what GM was allegedly doing to its customers, you tin publication each astir it here.