How G.M. Tracked Millions of Drivers’ Data
Automakers, including General Motors, have been quietly selling data about their customers’ driving habits to the insurance industry. This practice has come under scrutiny due to concerns about driver awareness and potentially unfair insurance rate adjustments. A recent investigation revealed that G.M. shared this information without explicitly informing affected drivers.
The reporter who broke the story, discovered that they were also affected by the data collection. The revelation has fueled public concern over data privacy in the automotive sector.
Data Collection and Its Implications
In December, the reporter and their husband purchased a 2023 Chevrolet Bolt manufactured by G.M. It was later discovered that their driving data was being tracked and shared with data brokers LexisNexis Risk Solutions and Verisk. These companies work with the insurance industry to assess driving behavior.
After requesting their “consumer disclosure files” from these brokers, the reporter’s husband received detailed reports. The LexisNexis report outlined 203 trips taken since January, including distance, start and end times, and instances of hard braking and rapid acceleration. The Verisk report, going back to mid-December, contained a summary: 1,890.89 miles driven, 4,251 driving minutes, 170 hard-brake events, 24 rapid accelerations, and zero speeding events.
The reporter, who had requested their own file during the initial reporting, found that it didn’t contain driving data. This was because the G.M. dealership listed the reporter’s husband as the primary owner, even though both names are on the car’s title.
G.M.’s official stance, according to what a spokeswoman told the reporter, was that this data collection only affected drivers who had activated OnStar, G.M.’s connected services plan, and enrolled in Smart Driver. This program, either at the time of purchase or via the vehicle’s mobile app, offers feedback and digital rewards for safe driving habits. The key point is that drivers may have inadvertently agreed to the data sharing.
