Key developments
GM agrees to pay over driver data
The New York Post reported that California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced General Motors has agreed to pay $12.5 million to resolve claims it sold California drivers' personal and driving data to brokers without consent, despite privacy policy promises. The state says GM collected names, contact information, location data, and driving behavior through OnStar from 2020 to 2024 and sold it to Verisk Analytics and LexisNexis Risk Solutions, reportedly earning about $20 million. The proposed settlement, pending court approval, would also ban GM from selling consumer driving data to brokers for five years and restrict future use of the data.
Why it matters
It is a major enforcement action over connected-car data sales and broker sharing.
Sources & driving stories
NEW YORK POST
New York Post coverageApple adds end-to-end encrypted RCS
EFF's Thorin Klosowski wrote that Apple released iOS 26.5 with support for end-to-end encrypted RCS chats between iPhone and Android users when carriers and devices support the feature. The rollout uses GSMA RCS Universal Profile 3.0 and Messaging Layer Security, and Apple still marks the feature beta while carrier and Google Messages support varies. Klosowski noted that message metadata may still be collected and cloud backups can remain unencrypted unless additional protections are enabled.
Why it matters
It expands message-content privacy for cross-platform texting at massive scale, even though metadata and backup risks remain.
Sources & driving stories
EFF · Thorin Klosowski
EFF coverageWorth noting
WORTH NOTING
Gemini may autofill ID data
CNET reports Google plans deeper Gemini integration that could autofill forms from Drive-stored identity data, raising fresh data access questions.
WORTH NOTING
Alabama adds a privacy statute
DWT says the APDPA was enacted in April, takes effect May 1, 2027, and notably does not require universal opt-out signals like GPC.
WORTH NOTING
Colorado targets AI wage surveillance
The Colorado Chamber of Commerce said lawmakers passed a bill limiting wage-setting based on surveillance data and algorithmic profiling.
Still unclear
OPEN QUESTION
How quickly will carriers enable encrypted RCS?
Apple says the feature is beta and depends on carrier and software support, so real-world coverage may lag the announcement.
OPEN QUESTION
Will California's GM ban curb broker sales?
The five-year prohibition could force automakers and data brokers to reconsider how connected-vehicle data is collected, retained, and monetized.