Man captured naked by Google Street View camera gets Rs 10 lakh in privacy lawsuit

Google

Imagine walking around your own yard, thinking you're in the privacy of your home, only to find out that the whole world has seen you naked on the internet. That’s exactly what happened to a man in Argentina, and now Google has been ordered to pay him Rs 10 lakh in damages.

Back in 2017, the man, a police officer, was in his garden without any clothes on. He was behind a wall that was about 6.5 feet high, thinking no one could see him. But one of Google’s Street View cameras passed by and somehow captured a photo of him from behind, completely nude. The photo ended up on Google Maps and was even shown on Argentine TV. His house number and street name were also visible, which made it worse.

Naturally, the image spread quickly on social media, and the man said it led to people making fun of him at work and in his neighborhood. He took Google to court, asking for compensation for the damage to his dignity and privacy.

At first, a court rejected his claim and said he should have been more careful about walking around naked. Google also argued that the wall wasn't high enough to guarantee full privacy.

But an appeals court saw it differently. The judges said that this was clearly a case of privacy being violated. They pointed out that the photo wasn’t taken in a public space, but inside the man’s private property. They also mentioned that Google has tools to blur faces and license plates, so it should have taken more care to avoid showing something so personal.

In the end, the court ruled in the man’s favor and ordered Google to pay him an amount equal to around $12,500, which is about Rs 10 lakh. The court said no one wants to be seen by the world as they came into it, and Google had a responsibility to prevent such an incident.

While the telecom company and news site that shared the photo were cleared of blame, Google was held responsible for the original mistake.