Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced a lawsuit against General Motors for allegedly “unlawfully collecting drivers’ private data.” “We’re suing General Motors for unlawfully collecting drivers’ private data and selling it to several companies—including INSURANCE COMPANIES,” Paxton said. “Our investigation revealed that General Motors has engaged in egregious business practices that violated Texans’ privacy and broke the law. We WILL hold them accountable. Companies are using invasive technology to violate the rights of our citizens in unthinkable ways,” Paxton continued. “Millions of American drivers wanted to buy a car, not a comprehensive surveillance system that unlawfully records information about every drive they take and sells their data to any company willing to pay for it,” he added. BREAKING: We’re suing General Motors for unlawfully collecting drivers’ private data and selling it to several companies—including INSURANCE COMPANIES. Our investigation revealed that General Motors has engaged in egregious business practices that violated Texans’ privacy and… pic.twitter.com/xl4jaeGzOK — Attorney General Ken Paxton (@KenPaxtonTX) August 13, 2024 Read the full press release: Reuters reports: General Motors has been sued by the state of Texas, which accused the automaker of installing technology on more than 14 million vehicles to collect data about drivers, which it then sold to insurers and other companies without drivers’ consent. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said Tuesday’s lawsuit arose from a probe announced in June into whether several automakers collected and sold mass amounts of data without drivers’ knowledge. Paxton said GM’s data were used to compile “Driving Scores” assessing whether more than 1.8 million Texas drivers had “bad” habits such as speeding, braking too fast, steering too sharply into turns, not using seatbelts and driving late at night. Insurers could then use the data when deciding whether to raise premiums, cancel policies or deny coverage, Paxton said. The technology was allegedly installed on most GM vehicles starting with the 2015 model year. General Motors has been sued by the state of Texas, which accused the automaker of installing technology on more than 14 million vehicles to collect data about drivers, which it then sold to insurers and other companies without drivers' consent. More here: https://t.co/39NJGSVchS — Reuters Business (@ReutersBiz) August 14, 2024 WATCH: Texas files new lawsuit against General Motors, claiming the company installed data collection software on more than 14 million vehicles. @trevorlault reports. pic.twitter.com/pchR7JBWcO — Good Morning America (@GMA) August 14, 2024 From POLITICO: In June, Paxton opened an investigation on multiple car companies regarding their collection and sale of drivers’ data, raising concerns about people’s information being sold to insurance companies. Cars collect an extensive amount of data on drivers, including their location, their contacts and their driving patterns. This data can be used for city planning purposes, but it is also used for targeted advertising and to adjust insurance rates. GM has been embroiled in data privacy concerns after the New York Times revealed in March that the company shared drivers’ data with data brokers, who then provided the information to insurance companies. A follow-up investigation from Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) in July accused General Motors of failing to obtain proper consent from drivers before sharing their data and accused the company of manipulating users for its data collection.

The Bristol rabble release debut album Devoured By The Mouth Of Hell next month

Candy company Mars will acquire Kellanova for $35.9 billion in cash, merging some of the biggest U.S. candy and snack brands, the companies announced Tuesday. 

Children of people who look like me run to the police; others have to run from [the police, Walz has said. He didn’t want to send law enforcement because he claimed they “started the problem in the first place. It wasn’t the communist anarchists of Antifa and Black Lives Matter who were to blame or […] The post Walz let Minneapolis burn because police “started the problem…” appeared first on www.independentsentinel.com.

Three-term Democratic Senator Jon Tester may be in trouble in Montana as a poll released Wednesday shows him trailing by six points to Republican challenger, Tim Sheehy.  Tester, who is facing a difficult re-election campaign in a state former President Donald Trump won by 16 points in 2020, is backed by 44.7% of likely Montana voters, while Sheehy had the support of 50.8%, according to a new survey from American Pulse Research and Polling. Nearly 4% of those polled indicated they were still undecided.   American Pulse conducted the poll of 538 likely Montana voters on behalf of NonStop LOCAL, a regional news network covering parts of Washington, Idaho, and Montana.  “While there’s still a lot of time before Election Day, it appears Montana could be on the cusp of delivering a Republican Majority in the U.S. Senate,” said lead American Pulse pollster Dustin Olson. “Likely driving this result, Montanans chose ‘Economy and Inflation’ as their #1 Issue and that they trust Tim Sheehy to handle it better than Senator Jon Tester.” The survey was conducted from August 10 to 12, the days after Trump held a rally in Bozeman, and has a 4.2% margin of error.  Montana’s Senate race is considered one of the most critical in the 2024 election, as Democrats seek to retain their majority and Republicans hope to flip control.  The top issues for all voters surveyed were inflation and economic issues (27.6), affordable housing (15.2%), and immigration and the border (14.3%). Voters backing Trump and Sheehy cited inflation, immigration, and taxes as their top issues, while those backing Vice President Kamala Harris and Tester selected affordable housing, democracy, and inflation as their key issues. WATCH THE TRAILER FOR ‘AM I RACIST?’ — A MATT WALSH COMEDY ON DEI The poll also found that Trump has a 14-point lead in Montana over Harris, consistent with his 2016 and 2020 victories in the state.  During his Friday rally in front of 8,000 supporters at the Brick Breeden Fieldhouse in Bozeman, Trump and other top Montana GOP figures called for the crowd to back Sheehy in November.  “The nation is watching Montana; they are counting on us, eighty-eight days away, in this most consequential election,” Montana GOP Sen. Steve Daines said at the rally. “If we are going to take this country back, we must elect President Trump and we must elect Tim Sheehy to support President Trump back in Washington.” Related: Democrat Jon Tester Campaigns Against His Own Record In Montana

Vice President Kamala Harris’ “no tax on tips” pitch that she unrolled in Las Vegas one month after former President Donald Trump made the same proposal “blindsided” Democrats, some of whom had called Trump’s idea “bogus” and an “election-year ploy,” The Hill reported on Wednesday. Harris told her supporters last weekend, “It is my promise to everyone here, when I am president we will continue our fight for working families of America, including to raise the minimum wage and eliminate taxes on tips for service and hospitality workers.” Trump proposed ending taxes on tips for service workers at his Las Vegas rally on June 9. After Trump made the proposal, Democrats such as Senate Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden (D-OR), Senate Finance Committee member Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), and senior member of the House Ways and Means Committee Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-TX) blasted the Republican nominee. Wyden labeled Trump’s plan a “bogus proposal” while Wyden called it an “election-year ploy.” Just a few weeks later, their own party’s nominee made the same promise. Some on the Left have also expressed concern that such a policy would give employers a reason to forgo raising hourly wages and result in businesses pushing even harder to solicit tips from customers. “It’s not something I saw coming. I did not expect her to go on the tipped-wage thing. I did not see it as a serious proposal from Trump, and it doesn’t become a serious proposal now,” a senior Senate Democratic aide told The Hill. WATCH THE TRAILER FOR ‘AM I RACIST?’ — A MATT WALSH COMEDY ON DEI Steven Rosenthal, a senior fellow at the Tax Policy Center, said, “Trump proposed no tax on tips in June, and largely the Left has been beating up on that proposal. So for Harris to offer a largely identical [proposal], I think catches people short.” “I try to call the balls and strikes straight. To me, both the Trump and Harris ‘no tax on tips’ are very poor ideas,” he added. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said on Monday that President Joe Biden also supports eliminating taxes on tips for service workers. “This is something the president supports. He supports eliminating taxes on tips for service and hospitality workers while also raising the minimum wage and preventing the wealthy from gaming the system,” Jean-Pierre said. The White House press secretary was asked if Harris had stolen the idea from Trump and replied, “I’m not going to respond to a presidential candidate, and I think their campaigns speak to that directly. What I can say is this president, this vice president, have always had the backs of working people, always. And you see that in the policies that they have put forward.” Trump blasted Harris after she promised to eliminate taxes on tips, saying, “She is conning the American public, and will flip right back.” “I will MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! There will be no flipping!!!” he added. RELATED: Kamala’s Campaign Says She Will Not Push Medicare-For-All. She Fully Supported It 5 Years Ago

A Luke Bryan fan got the surprise of a lifetime during the One Margarita singer’s concert in Cincinnati. Sheena Lynn had arrived to the event determined to get herself a souvenir, and she had the perfect plan. However, it succeeded beyond her wildest dreams! She shared a video of the incredible moment on social media. This wouldn’t be Sheena’s first time bringing home a memento from a celebrity. In fact, she made a short list of the items she’d received from other country stars at their concerts and put it on a sign! Then, she held it up so Luke Bryan could read it from the stage. @exceptionallyexcited I got Luke’s margarita in Cincinnati!!! #onemargarita #lukebryan #margarita #mindofacountryboytour ♬ original sound – ACM Awards “Thomas Rhett gave me a jacket,” the sign read. “Brett Young gave me a shoe. Dustin Lynch gave me a hat. Luke Bryan gave me —.” There was a blank space next to Bryan’s entry where she could write in an item, should he choose to give her something. Of course, the musician wasn’t to be outdone by these other artists! His gift was hilariously appropriate. Screengrab from TikTok During the concert, Luke Bryan lifted up a giant margarita glass as a prop. Then, he handed the massive beverage to his adoring fan. Sheena was so excited to receive this special item! She seemed like she was having the best time dancing along to the music and sipping her cocktail. Now that she’s received a margarita from Luke Bryan, Sheena can add this celebrity to her list. He certainly won’t be the last. In the comments section, one user suggested that she bring her updated sign to another concert. Perhaps she’d get another memento for her collection! “Now you need to go to a Luke Combs concert with the sign,” the person wrote. Sheena replied, “Oh I think I will!!! I see him in 2 weeks.” It was so sweet of Luke Bryan to make this such a memorable night for his fan! Do you think that Luke Combs can top his gift? You can find the source of this story’s featured image here. The post Luke Bryan Spots Woman’s Sign In The Crowd & Brings Her An Unconventional Surprise appeared first on InspireMore.