General Motors and subsidiary OnStar will be banned for five years from sharing drivers' precise geolocation and driving behavior data with consumer reporting agencies, under a settlement with the US Federal Trade Commission,

The Federal Trade Commission says consumers didn’t know that General Motors was collecting data about their driving through its OnStar system, let alone that they were selling it. Now, an order from the federal government is forcing them to stop.

The Federal Trade Commission has taken action against General Motors and OnStar for allegedly sharing details about drivers to third parties without their consent. The agency launched an investigation into the automotive company after The New York Times found that GM had collected data about customers' vehicle use and sold it to third-party platforms used by insurance companies.