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 FTC said in a release Thursday.

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.

Through a newly proposed order, GM and OnStar will be banned from disclosing data for five years from the date the order is entered. The companies must also obtain affirmative express consent from consumers before collecting connected vehicle data, except in some cases, such as providing location data to emergency first responders.

The FTC has reached a proposed settlement with GM, prohibiting the automaker from sharing customer geolocation and driving behavior data.

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.

The automaker was accused of collecting drivers' behavior data without their knowledge and providing it to third-party agencies that set insurance rates.

General Motors reached an agreement to settle allegations that the automaker shared drivers’ locations and behavior data without their consent, the Federal Trade Commission said.

The US Federal Trade Commission has reached a settlement with General Motors Co. over claims the automaker deceived drivers by collecting their personal data and sharing it with third parties.