California restricts General Motors driving-data sales to data brokers
General Motors data teams face a five-year broker-sale ban for consumer-driving data once the settlement is approved
Change
On May 8, 2026, California?s attorney general announced a $12.75 million civil-penalty settlement with General Motors that restricts its use of consumer-driving data and bans sales of that data to data brokers for five years, subject to court approval.
Why it matters
The settlement closes a data-commercialisation channel for vehicle-location and driving-behaviour data collected through OnStar. Once court-approved, GM must operate consumer-driving-data use and sharing under the settlement restrictions rather than ordinary broker-sale arrangements.
Implications
- — General Motors data-monetisation and partnership teams must stop selling consumer-driving data to data brokers during the five-year ban after court approval ? broker sales during the ban breach the settlement restrictions.
- — General Motors privacy and product teams managing OnStar data must align consumer-driving-data use with the settlement restrictions after court approval ? use outside those limits creates civil-penalty exposure.
Who is affected
- — General Motors data-monetisation and partnership teams
- — General Motors privacy and product teams managing OnStar data