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Outbyte Driver Updater FREEFix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →The Federal Trade Commission finalized its order resolving its case against General Motors LLC, General Motors Holdings LLC, and OnStar LLC on January 14, 2026. The order bars the companies from disclosing covered driver data to consumer reporting agencies for five years and sets privacy and data-control requirements that last 20 years. It does not establish that every allegation in the FTC’s complaint was proven at trial, or that every GM vehicle has the same privacy controls.
What the FTC alleged
The FTC alleged that GM used a misleading enrollment process for OnStar and its Smart Driver feature. According to the agency, consumers were not clearly told that Smart Driver collected precise location and driving-behavior data or that GM disclosed such data to third parties, including consumer reporting agencies. The FTC said those agencies used the information in consumer reports that insurers used when making coverage and rate decisions. These are allegations described by the FTC, not findings reached after a trial.
In its January 16, 2025 announcement, FTC Chair Lina M. Khan said GM monitored and sold precise geolocation and driving-behavior information “sometimes as often as every three seconds.” That frequency was attributed to some users; it should not be read as applying to every driver or vehicle. The FTC characterized its action as the agency’s first related to connected-vehicle data, a description of the FTC’s own enforcement activity rather than a claim that no other regulator had addressed vehicle data.
What the final order requires
A five-year bar on certain disclosures
For five years from the order’s entry, the respondents may not disclose Covered Driver Data to a person acting as a consumer reporting agency. This prohibition is distinct from the order’s longer-term consumer protections.
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Affirmative consent for covered data
Within 180 days of the order’s effective date, the respondents must obtain affirmative express consent before collecting, using, or disclosing covered driver data to a third party. Consent must be separate for each unrelated service or feature; agreeing to one feature does not, by itself, constitute consent for another. The order includes exceptions, such as emergency response, certain communications initiated by a consumer or vehicle, and compliance with legal requirements.
Data minimization, retention, and deletion
The order requires limits on collection, a documented retention schedule, and deletion or destruction of previously retained covered data, subject to specified exceptions and deadlines. GM must provide an easily located way for all U.S. consumers to request a copy of their covered driver data or request its deletion, subject to applicable legal exceptions. Before sharing data again with specified prior third-party recipients, GM must also request that those recipients delete it.
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Location and remote-collection controls
Where a vehicle has the necessary technology, consumers must be allowed to disable collection of Location Data. Consumers who decline or leave OnStar must also be allowed to disable remote collection of vehicle data, subject to exceptions for safety, response, legal, and update-related purposes. The order does not say that every GM vehicle has a location-disabling control or that consumers can disable every kind of collection for every purpose.
Which vehicles and drivers are covered?
The order names General Motors LLC, General Motors Holdings LLC, and OnStar LLC as respondents. It defines a covered vehicle as a U.S. retail GM-branded motor vehicle used by an individual consumer for personal use, including Chevrolet, GMC, Cadillac, and Buick. Specified fleet, rental, business, government, scrapped, and stolen vehicles are excluded. The order’s definitions, rather than the brand name alone, determine whether a particular vehicle falls within its scope.
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What this means if you drive a GM vehicle
The order creates rights and obligations for covered data, but it does not provide model-specific steps for using a vehicle’s current controls. The official materials establish the terms of the order; they do not establish that GM has completed every implementation step or explain how controls work on each model year. For a particular vehicle, check the current vehicle and OnStar privacy materials or contact GM or OnStar to ask how to access, delete, or limit the relevant data.
The practical distinctions matter: a location-control option is required only where the vehicle has the necessary technology, and disabling remote collection after declining or leaving OnStar remains subject to the order’s exceptions. The broad consumer-protection requirements last for the order’s 20-year life; the separate prohibition on disclosures to consumer reporting agencies lasts five years.
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FTC case status
The FTC identifies the matter as case 2423052, docket C-4828, and lists its status as “Under Order.” Its case record shows final-order filings on January 14, 2026. The resolution is therefore a final order, not merely the agency’s earlier proposed action.
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