An Argentine man who was photographed naked in his yard by a Google Street View camera has been granted compensation by a court after the image spread online.
The man, who worked as a policeman, asked the company for payment for harm to his dignity.
He said the camera filmed him from behind while he stood behind a 6 1/2-foot wall at his home in small-town Argentina in 2017.
His house number and street name were shown on Argentine TV and shared widely on social media.
He said the exposure led to ridicule at work and among neighbors.
Another court dismissed his claim last year, saying he had himself to blame for “walking around in inappropriate conditions in the garden of his home.”
Google argued the perimeter wall was not tall enough to prevent the photograph.
On appeal, judges found the man’s dignity was flagrantly violated and ordered Google to pay an amount equivalent to about $12,500.
“This involves an image of a person that was not captured in a public space but within the confines of their home, behind a fence taller than the average-sized person. The invasion of privacy … is blatant,”
“there is no doubt that in this case there was an arbitrary intrusion into another’s life.”
“no justification for (Google) to evade responsibility for this serious error that involved an intrusion into the plaintiff’s house, within his private domain, undermining his dignity.
“No one wants to appear exposed to the world as the day they were born.”
The judges noted Google’s own Street View practices on blurring faces and license plates as evidence it knew it had responsibilities to avoid harming third parties.
“it was not his face that was visible but his entire naked body, an image that should also have been prevented.”
The court cleared co-accused telecom firm Cablevision SA and news site El Censor of liability for the image’s spread, saying their actions “helped highlight the misstep committed by Google.”
“helped highlight the misstep committed by Google.”
On a page about its Street View policy, Google says it has taken steps to protect people’s privacy when images appear on Google Maps.
“We have developed cutting-edge face and license plate blurring technology that is designed to blur identifiable faces and license plates within Google-contributed imagery in Street View,”
“if you would like us to blur your entire house, car, or body, submit a request using the [“Report a problem”]
A vehicle belonging to Google drives through Gelnhausen, Germany with special cameras on its roof on Aug. 17, 2023.
Boris Roessler/picture alliance via Getty Images
In 2019, Google reportedly agreed to pay a $13 million settlement over its collection of private data through Street View.
In 2010, Google admitted it trespassed when photographing a Pittsburgh-area house for Street View, but paid only $1 in damages to the couple who sued.