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GM agrees to pay $12.75M in California driver privacy settlement

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General Motors has reached a privacy-related settlement with a group of law enforcement agencies led by California Attorney General Rob Bonta.

Back in 2024, The New York Times reported that automakers including GM were sharing information about their customers’ driving behavior with insurance companies, and that some customers were concerned that their insurance rates had gone up as a result.

The settlement announcement from Bonta’s office similarly alleges that GM sold “the names, contact information, geolocation data, and driving behavior data of hundreds of thousands of Californians” to Verisk Analytics and LexisNexis Risk Solutions, which are both data brokers.  Bonta’s office further alleges that this data was collected through GM’s OnStar program, and that the company made roughly $20 million from data sales.

However, Bonta’s office also said the data did not lead to increased insurance prices in California, “likely because under California’s insurance laws, insurers are prohibited from using driving data to set insurance rates.”

As part of the settlement, GM has agreed to pay $12.75 million in civil penalties and to stop selling driving data to any consumer reporting agencies for five years, Bonta’s office said. GM has also agreed to delete any driver data that it still retains within 180 days (unless it obtains consent from customers), and to request that Lexis and Verisk delete that data.

“General Motors sold the data of California drivers without their knowledge or consent and despite numerous statements reassuring drivers that it would not do so,” Bonta said in a statement, adding that the settlement “requires General Motors to abandon these illegal practices and underscores the importance of the data minimization in California’s privacy law — companies can’t just hold on to data and use it later for another purpose.”

GM had previously settled with the Federal Trade Commission over its data sales, with a final order banning General Motors and OnStar from selling certain data with consumer reporting agencies.

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GM told Reuters that the settlement “addresses Smart Driver, a product we discontinued in 2024, and reinforces steps we’ve taken to strengthen our privacy practices.”

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Trader sentenced to prison for stealing trousers in hospital

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A Jos Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday sentenced a 26-year-old trader, Ahmed Abdullahi, to nine months in prison for stealing a shirt and trousers from a hospital.

The convict pleaded guilty to the charges of trespass and theft brought against him by the police.

The magistrate, Irene Pati, sentenced the convict to nine months in prison, with an option of a N20,000 fine or three months in prison for trespass, and a N20,000 fine or six months in prison for stealing, all to run concurrently.

While reviewing the facts, the prosecutor, Ijuptil Thiawur, told the court that the case was reported on June 24 at the ‘C’ Division Police Station by Joshua Tongpan, the complainant.

Mr Thiawur said the convict trespassed into the hospital facility and stole the shirt and trousers valued at N25,000 before he was caught with them.

He said the offences contravened the Plateau Penal Code Law. 

(NAN)

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2027: INEC confirms Atiku, 470 other ADC candidates 

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The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has cleared former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and 470 other candidates presented by David Mark-led leadership of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, for the 2027 general elections.

The INEC National Commissioner, Mohammed Haruna, made this known on Tuesday, noting that the commission will recognise only the candidates submitted by the David Mark-led leadership.

Haruna added that the commission granted the Mark-led leadership access to its candidate nomination portal following the Supreme Court judgment affirming its leadership of the party.

The INEC senior official further stated that the faction has already submitted candidates for 471 elective positions, comprising one presidential candidate, 109 senatorial candidates and 360 House of Representatives candidates.

“Yes, we gave the Mark-led faction the code based on the recent Supreme Court judgment that affirmed his leadership of the party and the faction has since submitted most of its candidates for a total of 471 – presidential (1), senatorial (109) and House of Representatives (360) constituencies.

“The court, however, did not say we should accept any submissions by the rival faction which, in any case, had lost its appeal for recognition,” he said.

According to him, INEC would study the Certified True Copy of Monday’s Court of Appeal judgment before taking an official position on its implications.

“INEC cannot say anything until we see the judgment. We have to see the details of the judgment first. Hopefully, in the next two days, within 48 hours, the court should release the judgment. We will study it, and then the commission will take a position,” he added.

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