Key Takeaways
1. An Argentine police officer received $12,500 in damages after Google Street View captured him naked in his yard.
2. The appeals court ruled that Google violated the man’s dignity by posting the image online without adequate privacy protection.
3. The initial dismissal of the man’s claim was overturned because the court found a clear invasion of privacy within his home boundaries.
4. The court criticized Google for not blurring the naked image, emphasizing that the company has guidelines for protecting privacy.
5. This case is part of a history of legal challenges faced by Google regarding privacy issues related to Street View.
An Argentine police officer has been awarded around $12,500 in damages after a Google Street View camera took a picture of him naked in his yard. An appeals court decided that the tech giant “flagrantly violated” the man’s dignity by posting the image online.
The Incident
The event took place in 2017 when a Google Street View camera, while capturing images of a small town in Argentina, took a photo of the man from behind as he was unclothed in his garden. At that moment, he claimed he was behind a nearly 2-meter (6.5-foot) wall. The image that was published did not blur out his home address, which resulted in the photo being aired on local television and circulated on social media, leading to him being mocked at work and in his community.
Legal Battle
Seeking compensation from Google for the damage to his dignity, the man initially had his claim dismissed by a lower court, which said he was at fault for “walking around in inappropriate conditions in the garden of his home.” Google’s defense contended that the perimeter wall was not tall enough to create a reasonable expectation of privacy.
However, the appeals court reversed the lower court’s decision, stating that the man’s privacy was clearly violated. The judges mentioned, “This involves an image of a person that was not taken in a public area but within the boundaries of their home, behind a fence taller than the average-sized person.”
Court’s Conclusion
The court determined that there was an “arbitrary intrusion into another’s life” and found no justification for Google to evade responsibility for the mistake. “No one wants to be seen naked by the world as they came into it,” the judges added. They also referenced Google’s own guidelines as an indication of its accountability.
While Google does automatically blur faces and license plates in Street View photos, the judges pointed out that although the man’s face was not shown, his “entire naked body” was visible, and this “should have also been prevented.” Interestingly, the court did not hold the other two parties involved — telecom company Cablevision SA and news site El Censor — responsible for the spread of the image. The judges indicated that their actions “helped highlight the misstep committed by Google.”
Previous Challenges
This isn’t the first instance where Google’s Street View has encountered legal troubles. In 2019, it was reported that Google settled for $13 million due to the collection of private information through the program. In another case back in 2010, the company paid a couple $1 in damages after admitting it trespassed to photograph a house in the Pittsburgh area.
Source:
Link
Leave a Reply