Google Says Allegations That It Collects Student Data Are Baseless
Google renewed its call for a federal court to dismiss a class-action case against it that alleges the company's education products secretly harvest mass amounts of student information and data without their or their parents’ knowledge or consent. In its motion to dismiss, Google claims the plaintiffs -- parents of minor schoolchildren -- haven't alleged invasion of privacy.
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"Plaintiffs do not allege any facts explaining how their privacy was violated, or how Google violated any of the various laws alleged in the Complaint," Google said. "What Plaintiffs provide, instead, is a 77-page thinkpiece about why 'EdTech' and 'surveillance capitalism' are harmful to children."
The company added, "It is simply not clear what Plaintiffs think Google has done wrong."
Additionally, Google said that if what the plaintiffs are trying to allege is that the company erred by not getting consent directly from the parents, the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) preempts their claims.
Case 25-03125 in the U.S. District Court for Northern California was brought by a group of parents who argue Google has violated the California Invasion of Privacy Act (CIPA) and the Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA) in addition to COPPA, among other federal and state laws (see 2504100003).