Connected-car data sharing drew a call for federal scrutiny in 2024, and the Federal Trade Commission later finalized an order addressing allegations against General Motors and OnStar. That order creates specific limits and consumer controls for GM/OnStar; it does not establish the same rules for every automaker. Here is what the 2024 report said, what the FTC’s later action changes, and what drivers still need to check for themselves.
What prompted the 2024 call for scrutiny?
In a July 31, 2024 report, Dark Reading reported that Sens. Ron Wyden and Edward Markey urged the FTC to scrutinize automakers over alleged sharing of driver information without informed consent. The report named General Motors, Honda and Hyundai, and said data such as acceleration and braking information went to Verisk. According to the report’s account of the senators’ allegations, Verisk used the information to prepare driver-behavior reports that were resold to insurance companies.
That account is reporting on allegations, not a finding that every named automaker shared the same data in the same way. The original Senate letter is not available in the cited sources, so its language should not be treated as independently verified here.
What data can a connected car involve?
A connected vehicle may generate information through onboard systems and services, including driving behavior and location. The 2024 report discussed the breadth of information a vehicle may hold and the difficulty drivers can face in understanding secondary uses after information is collected. These are expert observations, not a quantified measure of what every car collects.
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It helps to distinguish four actions: collection is gathering data; use is processing it for a purpose; sharing is disclosing it to another party; and sale is a particular form of commercial transfer. Data needed to provide a service a driver requests is not automatically the same as data used for other analytics or disclosed for insurance-related purposes.
What did the FTC do in the GM/OnStar case?
On January 14, 2026, the FTC announced it had finalized an order settling allegations that GM and OnStar collected, used and sold precise geolocation and driving-behavior data from millions of vehicles without adequate notice and affirmative consent. The FTC’s case page lists the matter as “Under Order.”
The order’s terms are company- and conduct-specific. The FTC’s final decision and order includes these requirements:
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- Five years: GM/OnStar is barred from disclosing covered data to consumer reporting agencies.
- Twenty years: GM/OnStar must obtain affirmative express consent before covered collection, use or sharing, subject to limited exceptions.
- Consumer controls: U.S. consumers must have mechanisms to request access to and deletion of covered data, disable precise geolocation where vehicle technology permits, and opt out of covered geolocation and driving-behavior collection, subject to limited exceptions.
The FTC’s earlier announcement of its proposed action, dated January 16, 2025, quoted then-Chair Lina M. Khan saying: “GM monitored and sold people’s precise geolocation data and driver behavior information, sometimes as often as every three seconds.” That was the FTC’s allegation language about GM in the proposed-action announcement, not a statistic about connected vehicles generally or wording from the final order.
Does the FTC order protect drivers of every brand?
No. The 2026 order concerns GM and OnStar and its defined covered data and conduct. It does not, by itself, impose equivalent affirmative-consent, access, deletion or opt-out requirements on Honda, Hyundai or other manufacturers. The 2024 Senate request was a call for scrutiny, not a binding industry-wide rule.
The cited sources do not establish an up-to-date, automaker-by-automaker comparison of privacy practices or an industry-wide rate of data sharing. For another vehicle brand, do not assume its controls match GM/OnStar’s order; check the automaker’s current privacy notice and account or vehicle settings.
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What should drivers check in their car’s privacy settings?
When reviewing an automaker’s app, account settings or vehicle menu, focus on the purpose and scope of each control rather than assuming that a general privacy toggle covers all data flows. Useful questions include:
- Is consent affirmative and separate for optional or secondary uses, or bundled with enrollment in a service?
- Which categories are covered—such as precise location, driving behavior, or vehicle diagnostics?
- Can collection be disabled without also losing unrelated vehicle functions or services?
- Can you request access to or deletion of data, and does the option apply to data already shared?
- Does the policy address disclosure to brokers, insurers or consumer reporting agencies?
- Which regulator or legal order, if any, applies to this manufacturer and data use?
Read the relevant service terms before enrolling or enabling connected features, and keep a record of the controls you change. Availability and effect can vary by vehicle, service, account and jurisdiction; the sources cited here do not establish a universal opt-out procedure.
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Can a device block automaker data sharing?
The cited reporting and FTC materials do not identify a consumer accessory that reliably prevents an automaker from collecting or sharing connected-service data. An OBD-II reader, dash camera or GPS-blocking device is not established by these sources as a fix for automaker telematics or onward disclosure. The practical place to start is the service’s own consent and privacy controls, while recognizing that a setting may affect only particular data or features.
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