Friend
Professional
- Messages
- 2,653
- Reaction score
- 850
- Points
- 113
GM is accused of illegally collecting information about drivers and the movement of cars.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed a lawsuit against General Motors Corporation (GM), accusing the company of violating state privacy laws. According to Paxton, the automaker deliberately misrepresented information about the collection of drivers ' data, offering them to subscribe to services that secretly collected and sold personal data of car owners to third parties.
According to the prosecutor's office, GM promoted its products that required drivers to register, after which the company transferred the collected data to other firms. Among them were companies that created "driving assessments" that were then sold to insurance companies. Paxton points out that millions of Americans, when they bought cars, were unaware that they were becoming part of a comprehensive surveillance system that illegally records information about every move and sells the data to any interested buyer.
The lawsuit was filed a few weeks after Paxton announced an investigation into several car companies, including GM. The investigation concerns how automakers handle the vast amounts of data collected by connected cars.
Paxton's lawsuit calls for a jury trial and fines of up to $10,000 dollars for each violation. With about 1.8 million customers affected in Texas, the total amount of fines could be huge. The prosecutor also requires the court to order GM to destroy all collected data.
The lawsuit applies to all GM vehicles sold in Texas since 2015, when the company began forcing drivers to sign up for technologies such as OnStar Smart Driver to activate car safety features. GM representatives said they are in dialogue with Paxton's office and share the company's commitment to protecting consumer privacy.
Recall that in May, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) warned automakers that it closely monitors the collection and sale of customer data. The Commission noted possible measures that may be applicable to automakers for transmitting sensitive data to advertisers. Special attention is paid to the sale of geodata and "secret disclosure of confidential information".
The issue of car data privacy has become an important one for consumer advocates in recent years. So, Privacy4Cars last year released a tool called Vehicle Privacy Report, which shows what information about a particular car can be collected. By entering the vehicle's VIN, the user can see what car manufacturers can know about it. It is estimated that cars can produce 25 GB of data per hour.
At the same time, a WIRED report showed that most major car brands collect data on location, speed, acceleration, braking, cornering, and other driving parameters. Some companies also collect data about the vehicle's condition, such as fuel level, tire pressure, and engine errors. In addition, some automakers can access data from connected devices, such as smartphones, tablets, or navigators.
Source
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed a lawsuit against General Motors Corporation (GM), accusing the company of violating state privacy laws. According to Paxton, the automaker deliberately misrepresented information about the collection of drivers ' data, offering them to subscribe to services that secretly collected and sold personal data of car owners to third parties.
According to the prosecutor's office, GM promoted its products that required drivers to register, after which the company transferred the collected data to other firms. Among them were companies that created "driving assessments" that were then sold to insurance companies. Paxton points out that millions of Americans, when they bought cars, were unaware that they were becoming part of a comprehensive surveillance system that illegally records information about every move and sells the data to any interested buyer.
The lawsuit was filed a few weeks after Paxton announced an investigation into several car companies, including GM. The investigation concerns how automakers handle the vast amounts of data collected by connected cars.
Paxton's lawsuit calls for a jury trial and fines of up to $10,000 dollars for each violation. With about 1.8 million customers affected in Texas, the total amount of fines could be huge. The prosecutor also requires the court to order GM to destroy all collected data.
The lawsuit applies to all GM vehicles sold in Texas since 2015, when the company began forcing drivers to sign up for technologies such as OnStar Smart Driver to activate car safety features. GM representatives said they are in dialogue with Paxton's office and share the company's commitment to protecting consumer privacy.
Recall that in May, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) warned automakers that it closely monitors the collection and sale of customer data. The Commission noted possible measures that may be applicable to automakers for transmitting sensitive data to advertisers. Special attention is paid to the sale of geodata and "secret disclosure of confidential information".
The issue of car data privacy has become an important one for consumer advocates in recent years. So, Privacy4Cars last year released a tool called Vehicle Privacy Report, which shows what information about a particular car can be collected. By entering the vehicle's VIN, the user can see what car manufacturers can know about it. It is estimated that cars can produce 25 GB of data per hour.
At the same time, a WIRED report showed that most major car brands collect data on location, speed, acceleration, braking, cornering, and other driving parameters. Some companies also collect data about the vehicle's condition, such as fuel level, tire pressure, and engine errors. In addition, some automakers can access data from connected devices, such as smartphones, tablets, or navigators.
Source
