JACKSON – Mississippi will receive more than $3.6 million as part of a $220 million multistate settlement with General Motors over allegations that the company collected and sold drivers’ location and driving data without proper consent.
Attorney General Lynn Fitch announced the settlement Thursday alongside a coalition of 36 attorneys general.
Under the agreement, GM must obtain affirmative, express consent from consumers before collecting or disclosing certain driving and location data. Mississippi’s share of the settlement is $3,607,640.
From 2016 through 2024, GM enrolled millions of drivers in its Smart Driver program, which tracked driving habits. The program was marketed as a tool to help drivers improve safety, and consumers were told their information would not be shared with insurers without express consent, according to the attorney general’s office.
The coalition alleged that GM instead sold the data to third-party data brokers under contracts allowing it to be used for insurance-related products. Those brokers then sold the information to insurance companies, which could use driving behavior to help determine premiums.
The attorneys general also said the OnStar app incorrectly told more than 370,000 drivers they were not enrolled in Smart Driver when they actually were. According to the settlement announcement, GM later unenrolled those drivers but did not inform them of the mistake, and their data remained with brokers and insurers.
“GM convinced consumers that their Smart Driver program was designed to promote safe driving,” Fitch said. “Instead, the company sold sensitive location and driving data to third-party data brokers without consumers’ consent.”
The settlement requires GM to limit the driving data it collects and maintain a comprehensive privacy and data protection program. It also requires internal and external assessments, along with dealership oversight and training designed to prevent consumers from being enrolled in data collection programs without their consent.
Mississippi joined attorneys general from dozens of other states and the District of Columbia in the settlement.
