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Why it matters: The settlement requires GM to get affirmative, express consent from consumers before collecting or disclosing driving and location data.
General Motors will pay $220 million to settle allegations by a coalition of 36 attorneys general that it illegally sold consumers' driver behavior and location data, Delaware Attorney General Kathy Jennings announced on Oct. 29, 2026. According to the announcement, the data was collected through GM's OnStar Smart Driver program and sold to data brokers, who sold it to insurance companies. Insurers used it in part to set rates.
State shares. Delaware will receive $4,726,779, per the Delaware Department of Justice. Hawaii, whose Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs Office of Consumer Protection joined the coalition, will receive $2,861,340, according to Hawaii's release.
What the settlement requires. The settlement requires GM to obtain affirmative, express consent from consumers before collecting or disclosing driving and location data. It also requires GM to limit the driving data it collects and to set up a comprehensive data privacy program with internal and external assessments, per Hawaii's release. Delaware's release adds that the terms require board-level oversight, along with oversight and training requirements at GM dealerships, per Delaware DOJ.
Background, as described by the states. From 2016 to 2024, GM enrolled millions of drivers in Smart Driver, which tracked driving habits and location history. The states say their investigation found GM sold the data to brokers under contracts that specified it was for insurance products. They also say the OnStar app told more than 370,000 drivers they were not enrolled in Smart Driver when they were. GM discontinued Smart Driver in June 2024, per Delaware DOJ.
Who led. Washington and Oregon co-led the case. A committee of 10 states, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Kentucky, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, Utah and Vermont, assisted, per Hawaii's release, which also lists every joining state.
The official releases from Delaware and Hawaii did not include a response from GM.
Delaware residents can find data-privacy information or file a complaint at privacy.delaware.gov, per the release.
Sources
How we checked this: We read the Delaware Department of Justice and Hawaii Office of Consumer Protection releases of Oct 29, 2026 in copies saved on Nov 1, 2026 at 7:18 PM ET, and checked each figure, date and term in this story against them.
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