FTC Issues Order Restricting GM’s Use of Vehicle Location Data

USA: FTC Issues Order Restricting GM’s Use of Vehicle Location Data

The Federal Trade Commission announced on January 15, 2026 that it has finalized an order against General Motors LLC, General Motors Holdings LLC, and OnStar, LLC for allegedly collecting, using, and selling precise geolocation and driving‑behavior data from millions of vehicles without adequate consumer notice or affirmative consent.

Order Details

The order imposes a five‑year prohibition on the companies from disclosing such data to consumer‑reporting agencies and mandates a series of transparency and choice measures, including obtaining explicit consent before any collection, use, or sharing of connected‑vehicle data.

Background of the Complaint

The FTC’s complaint, first filed in January 2025, alleged that GM employed a misleading enrollment process for its OnStar service and the Smart Driver feature, failing to clearly disclose that precise location and driving‑behavior information would be gathered and sold to third parties.

Consumer Rights Under the Order

For the twenty‑year duration of the order, GM must provide U.S. consumers with a mechanism to request a copy of their data, request deletion, disable precise geolocation collection where technology permits, and opt out of data collection and sharing, except in limited circumstances such as emergency response.

Regulatory Response

The Commission voted 2‑0 to approve the final order and the underlying complaint, noting that the measures are intended to enhance consumer privacy and choice regarding connected‑vehicle information.

Implications for the Automotive Sector

Industry observers note that the order may set a precedent for how automakers handle telematics data, potentially prompting broader revisions to enrollment practices and data‑sharing agreements across the sector.

This report is based on information from FTC, licensed under Public Domain (U.S. Government Work). Source: Official U.S. Government release.