General Motors to pay $220 million to settle driver‑data privacy lawsuit

General Motors agreed to a $220 million settlement with a coalition of state attorneys general over allegations that it sold drivers’ behavior and location data without consent. The settlement covers claims from 36 states, with Ohio receiving $8,076,105 and Virginia $6,541,173. GM must obtain explicit consumer consent before collecting or sharing such data and implement stronger privacy safeguards. The dispute stemmed from the Smart Driver program that operated from 2016 to 2024.

The settlement creates a one‑time $220 million expense that will reduce GM’s near‑term earnings, and the new consent and data‑protection requirements could increase future compliance costs. The company did not admit wrongdoing, but the judgment may affect investor perception of regulatory risk.

  • Materials differ on the number of participating states: 36 states versus 35 states.

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