Google told schools it would not use student data for ads. New Mexico's Attorney General found otherwise — Google was collecting children's personal data through school Chromebooks without parental consent. YouTube watch history, search queries, location data — all fed into the same profile Google uses for advertising. The classroom became a data collection pipeline. Human Rights Watch examined 146 educational apps in 49 countries. 89% could surveil children outside school hours. Google Classroom was everywhere. Children doing homework at 10pm were being tracked by ad-tech companies. The school assigned the app. The parents trusted the school. Google collected the data.
What they claim: Google Classroom promoted as a safe, secure learning environment for schools
What we found: A 2022 Human Rights Watch investigation of 146 government-endorsed educational apps in 49 countries found Google's education tools embedded third-party tracking that surveilled children outside school hours. 89% of the apps examined could surveil children or risked doing so. Google Classroom was among the most widely deployed.
What they claim: Google Workspace for Education privacy notice states student data is not used for advertising
What we found: A 2022 FTC complaint by EFF and other groups alleged Google tracked students' browsing across non-educational Google services (YouTube, Maps, Search) and used the data to build advertising profiles. New Mexico's Attorney General sued Google in 2020 for collecting personal data from children under 13 through Chromebooks and Google Education tools without parental consent.
What they claim: Google states schools control student data and can delete accounts when students leave
What we found: Research found student Google accounts created during COVID-era remote learning persisted long after students returned to physical classrooms or changed schools. Many school districts lacked the technical capacity to properly manage or delete student accounts. Google profiles created at age 6 accumulated years of browsing, search, and YouTube data before anyone reviewed the retention.