BUENOS AIRES: A court in Argentina has ordered Google to pay compensation to a man whose naked image was captured and displayed on Google Street View.
The incident, which occurred in 2017, showed the man in his private yard behind a two-meter wall, exposing him to public ridicule.
The plaintiff, a policeman, argued that the image harmed his dignity, as his house number and street name were also visible.
Despite an earlier ruling dismissing his claim, an appeals court found that Google had violated his privacy.
The judges awarded him the equivalent of $12,500, stating that the intrusion was unjustified.
“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,“ the court wrote.
The judges emphasized that Google’s policy of blurring faces and license plates showed awareness of privacy obligations, yet failed to protect the man’s dignity in this case.
Google had argued that the wall was not high enough to prevent visibility, but the court rejected this defense.
The ruling also cleared telecom company Cablevision SA and news site El Censor of liability, noting they had merely highlighted Google’s error.
“No one wants to appear exposed to the world as the day they were born,“ the judges remarked, reinforcing the importance of privacy rights. - AFP
