Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird has filed a lawsuit against General Motors LLC and OnStar LLC, alleging that the companies collected and sold data from Iowa residents without their knowledge or consent. The suit, submitted in Polk County District Court, claims that General Motors violated the Iowa Consumer Fraud Act through deceptive business practices.
The lawsuit states that since 2015, General Motors installed systems in its vehicles capable of tracking information such as speed, seatbelt usage, driving habits, and location. This data was then sold to third-party brokers who provided it to insurance companies. According to the allegations, these insurance companies used the information to increase rates, deny coverage, or cancel policies for affected Iowans—all without informing them.
Attorney General Bird commented on the situation: “Iowans deserve to know who is collecting, using, and selling their data and why,” said Attorney General Bird. “They should also be able to trust a company as large and well-known as General Motors. GM was not honest with Iowans who were spending hard-earned money to buy a dependable vehicle—and they did it to make more money. That is wrong, and our office is holding them accountable.”
The petition seeks restitution for those impacted by these practices in Iowa. It also requests civil penalties and asks the court to prevent GM and OnStar from continuing these actions within the state.
