California Slaps General Motors With Record $12.75M CCPA Fine Over Sales of Customers’ Connected Car Data
Publish Date: 2026-05-12 10:53:00
Source Domain: www.cxtoday.com
U.S. automaker General Motors (GM) has agreed with California regulators to pay a $12.75MN settlement over claims that it illegally sold hundreds of thousands of Californians’ location and driving data to two data brokers, marking the largest penalty under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and the state’s first enforcement action centered on data minimization.
The settlement, announced by California Attorney General Rob Bonta alongside four district attorneys and the California Privacy Protection Agency (CalPrivacy), indicates intensifying scrutiny over how automakers monetize connected-vehicle data.
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Internet-connected cars are becoming a major point of focus in the data privacy debate. Vehicles can collect a wider range of information than ever before, including location history, driving habits, braking patterns, voice commands, infotainment activity and even some in-cabin data.
Privacy advocates and regulators say many drivers still do not fully understand how much of that information is being gathered, how long companies keep it, or how widely it may be shared with insurers, advertisers, analytics providers and data brokers.
As automakers expand connected services and subscription features, regulators are paying closer attention to whether consumers are receiving clear and meaningful consent options, and limits on how their data is used and retained.
“Modern cars are rolling data collection machines,” San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins said in the settlement announcement. She added that consumers must understand what information automakers collect, how it is used, and their opt-out rights.
According to the complaint, GM collected names, contact…
