通用汽车将向36个州支付2.2亿美元，以了结有关其非法向数据经纪商出售私人驾驶行为和位置信息的指控。
General Motors will pay $220 million to 36 states to settle allegations that it illegally sold private driving behavior and location information to data brokers.
作为和解协议的一部分，通用汽车在收集或共享驾驶和位置数据之前，必须获得司机的明确同意——这些条款与其此前与加利福尼亚州和联邦贸易委员会（FTC）达成的单独协议一致。该和解协议还包含一项新要求，即通用汽车必须由第三方评估其对已实施的隐私计划的遵守情况。
As part of the settlement, GM must get drivers’ express consent before it collects or shares their driving and location data — terms that are in line with separate agreements it previously reached with California and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). This settlement does contain a new requirement that GM must have a third party assess the automaker’s compliance with the privacy program it has put in place.
周四宣布的这项协议了结了由36个州总检察长组成的联盟提起的诉讼，该联盟指控通用汽车将相关信息出售给数据经纪商，后者又将其出售给保险公司。
The agreement announced Thursday settles a lawsuit brought by a coalition of attorneys general from 36 states that alleged GM had sold the information to data brokers, which in turn then sold it to insurance providers.
通用汽车在一份电子邮件声明中表示：“该协议涉及Smart Driver，这是我们已于2024年终止的一款产品，并强化了我们为加强隐私实践所采取的措施。更安全、更有用和个性化的体验有赖于网联汽车数据，通用汽车致力于明确说明使用了哪些信息、如何保护这些信息，以及客户对其共享内容拥有哪些选择。”此前《纽约时报》的一篇报道披露了通用汽车和OnStar如何收集、使用并向第三方出售司机的精确地理位置数据和驾驶行为，这些第三方包括数据经纪商LexisNexis和Verisk。
“This agreement addresses Smart Driver, a product we ended in 2024, and reinforces steps we’ve taken to strengthen our privacy practices,” GM said in an emailed statement. “Safer, more helpful and personalized experiences are enabled by connected vehicle data, and GM is committed to being clear about what information is used, how it’s protected, and the choices customers have about what they share.”The settlement comes more than two years after a New York Times report showed how GM and OnStar collected, used, and sold drivers’ precise geolocation data and driving behavior to third parties, including data brokers LexisNexis and Verisk.
这些数据是通过通用汽车的Smart Driver项目收集的，该项目是其网联汽车应用程序中的一项免费功能，用于跟踪和评估驾驶行为及安全带使用情况。据《纽约时报》当时报道，数据经纪商将这些信息出售给保险公司，这可能影响客户的费率。
The data was collected through GM’s Smart Driver program, a free feature contained within its connected car apps that tracked and rated driving behaviors and seat belt use. Data brokers sold this information to insurance providers, which could affect customers’ rates, the NYT reported at the time.
通用汽车于2024年停用了“智能驾驶”功能，但这并未阻止法律行动。今年1月，美国联邦贸易委员会最终确定了一项命令，禁止通用汽车及其安吉星远程信息处理服务共享某些消费者数据。联邦贸易委员会的和解协议，以及周四宣布的多州和解协议，还要求通用汽车对其消费者更加透明，并在某些数据收集上获得消费者的明确同意。
GM discontinued Smart Driver in 2024, but that didn’t stop legal action. In January, the FTC finalized an order that bans GM and its OnStar telematics service from sharing certain consumer data. The FTC settlement, as well as the multistate one announced Thursday, also requires GM to be more transparent with its consumers and receive their explicit consent for certain collection.
该公司现在表示，它专注于保护客户的隐私，并将不再出售可与个人、车辆位置或驾驶方式相关联的车辆信息。不过，通用汽车仍可能与某些合作伙伴披露与个人无关的匿名数据。通用汽车还更新了其隐私政策中的措辞，并创建了一个面向消费者的隐私中心。
The company now says it is focused on protecting the privacy of its customers and will no longer sell vehicle information that can be linked to an individual, their vehicle location, or how they drive. However, GM may still disclose anonymized data not tied to an individual with certain partners. GM has also updated the language in its privacy policy and created a consumer-facing Privacy Center.
这项和解协议以及通用汽车处理客户驾驶数据方式的强制性改变，正值越来越多配备计算能力、装载大量传感器的车辆进入市场之际。汽车制造商在软件主导型车辆上押下了重注，这类车辆可供驾驶员和乘客互动，并能与其他数字应用连接，例如他们的日历、消息等。例如，通用汽车正在为其已有30年历史的安全与道路救援服务安吉星添加个人AI助手。
The settlement and mandated changes to how GM handles customer driving data come as more sensor-laden vehicles equipped with computing power enter the market. Automakers have made large bets on software-centric vehicles that drivers and passengers can interact with and connect with other digital apps such as their calendar, messages, and For instance, GM is adding a personal AI assistant to OnStar, its 30-year-old safety and roadside assistance service.
车辆上的摄像头将连接到该软件，以提供实时视图以及碰撞和安全录像。用户还可以使用语音控制车辆上的某些功能，包括空调，并就任何特定的车辆功能提问。
Cameras on the vehicle will be connected to the software to offer live views as well as crash and safety recordings. Users will also be able to use voice to control certain functions on the vehicle, including climate, and ask questions about any specific vehicle feature.
这家汽车制造商在10月举行的“通用汽车向前迈进”活动上发布这款新助手时，强调了其隐私保护措施。该公司表示，客户将能够决定共享哪些数据，并且录音有时间限制且经过加密。通用汽车表示，该公司和安吉星无法访问互联摄像头录像。客户还将能够管理权限。不过，据通用汽车称，选择不共享数据的客户对某些功能的使用权限可能会受到限制。
The automaker emphasized its privacy protections when it announced the new assistant during its GM Forward event in October. The company said customers will have the ability to decide what data is shared and that the recordings have time limits and are encrypted. GM said it and OnStar cannot access Connected Camera recordings. Customers will also be able to manage permissions. However, customers who opt not to share their data will likely have limited access to certain features, according to GM.