Google sued by New Mexico AG for spying on kids in classrooms

Google has been sued by New Mexico`s Attorney General Hector Balderas who said that the tech giant used its educational products, such as Chromebooks, to spy on the state`s children and families.

"The consequences of Google`s tracking cannot be overstated: Children are being monitored by one of the largest data mining companies in the world, at school, at home, on mobile devices, without their knowledge and without the permission of their parents," the lawsuit said, according to a report in The New York Times on Thursday.

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According to the lawsuit, Google was involved in collecting the personal information through a programme it has with New Mexico`s school districts, in which it provides Chromebooks and access to G Suite for Education apps such as Google Docs, Gmail, and Calendar for free.

The lawsuit added: Today, more than half of the nation`s public schools -- and 90 million students and teachers globally -- use free Google Education apps like Gmail and Google Docs.

More than 25 million students and teachers also use Chromebooks, laptops that run on the company`s Chrome operating system.

The New Mexico complaint comes in the wake of broader scrutiny on Google from a coalition of 50 state attorneys general -- including Balderas -- across the country.

They`re investigating Google`s digital advertising operation, as well as other aspects of the company`s business, in a high-profile antitrust probe, according to CNET.