General Motors reaches $12.75 million settlement over violations of the California Consumer Privacy Act | News
Publish Date: 2026-05-08 17:21:00
Source Domain: www.actionnewsnow.com
OAKLAND, Calif. – California Attorney General Rob Bonta, together with several district attorneys and the California Privacy Protection Agency, announced a $12.75 million settlement with General Motors for illegally selling hundreds of thousands of Californians’ location and driving data to 2 data brokers.
CalPrivacy says this marks the largest California Consumer Privacy Act penalty in California history to date and the first data minimization case.
The settlement, which is subject to court approval, includes strong injunctive terms, including restrictions on GM’s use of consumer driving data and a ban on such data being sold to data brokers.
The announcement was made alongside San Francisco County District Attorney Brooke Jenkins, Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman, Napa County District Attorney Allison Haley and Sonoma County District Attorney Carla Rodriguez.
“General Motors sold the data of California drivers without their knowledge or consent and despite numerous statements reassuring drivers that it would not do so,” Bonta said. “This trove of information included precise and personal location data that could identify the everyday habits and movements of Californians.”
“Today’s settlement requires General Motors to abandon these illegal practices and underscores the importance of the data minimization in California’s privacy law — companies can’t just hold on to data and use it later for another purpose,” Bonta said. “I am proud to go to bat for the privacy rights of Californians and to collaborate with state and local partners who share the same commitment to consumer protection.”
“Modern cars are rolling data collection machines,” Jenkins said. “Californians must have confidence that they know what data is being collected, how it is being used, and what their opt-out rights are.”
“It is patently illegal to…
