ST. LOUIS – A story that every driver needs to hear: Automakers are accused of tracking and selling your driving data to insurance companies without proper consent, leading some drivers to claim their auto insurance went up because of it.
A Growing Concern
Brant McDonald, a hardworking farmer from Valdosta, Georgia, was thrilled to have a new Chevy truck. Several months later, he read national reporting accusing General Motors and other automakers of selling data about the driving behavior of millions of people to insurance companies.
McDonald says he requested a consumer disclosure report from global data broker LexisNexis, which showed over 300 pages of his driving history in a short period. He shared his report with FOX 2 and claimed that General Motors was the source of the driving record.
A Class Action Lawsuit
McDonald is not alone in his concerns. In July, Senators Ed Markey of Massachusetts and Ron Wyden of Oregon urged the Federal Trade Commission to investigate what they called the invasive data privacy practices of automakers. The suit accuses GM of partnering with data brokers to collect driving data without proper consent using OnStar Smart Driver technology.
In August, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued GM and OnStar, accusing the companies of violating Texas consumer law. The lawsuits have now been consolidated in a Georgia federal court.
A Call for Transparency
Attorney Jer Nixon, Simon Law Firm, said he's monitoring the cases and hopes they provide consumers with more transparency. "Private lawsuits do change companies' behaviors, and this is certainly an example of one where a court could order that these companies are not allowed to sell or share or use this data as they are," he said.
Nixon added that for now, it's on consumers to control their privacy. Andrea Amico founded Privacy4Cars and recommends using VehiclePrivacyReport.com to learn what type of data the manufacturer says the vehicle can collect and how they plan to use it.
GM Responds
In a statement, General Motors told FOX 2 that keeping customers' data safe is a top priority. The company discontinued OnStar Smart Driver, terminated its partnerships with LexisNexis and Verisk, and said they would "unenroll all customers" and work on enhanced privacy controls aimed at greater transparency.
McDonald is still shocked by what he says the OnStar agent said next: "Even if you turn it off, we can still track you. We can still see what you're doing." He's now hesitant to buy another GM vehicle and recommends that drivers take control of their privacy.