Mississippi Supreme Court Allows Privacy Suit Against Google to Move Forward

Mississippi’s Supreme Court says a state lawsuit against Google alleging violations of student privacy should stay in a northeast Mississippi court.

The court voted 6-2 Aug. 9 to deny an appeal by the unit of California-based Alphabet Inc. Google wanted the Lowndes County lawsuit dismissed, saying Mississipi Attorney General Jim Hood filed it in the wrong place.

A three-justice panel denied the appeal earlier, but Google asked the full court to reconsider.

Hood, a Democrat, says Google violates Mississippi consumer protection law by selling ads using data from school services.

Hood wants a judge to order Google to stop the practice. The suit says Google could be fined $10,000 for every student account in Mississippi. With half of Mississippi districts using Google services, that amount could top $2.5 billion.