Man gets $12,500 in compensation after Google Street View clicks him naked

A man in Argentina has been awarded $12,500 (nearly Rs 11 lakh) in compensation after he was photographed completely naked in his backyard by a Google Street View car. The man successfully argued in court that his dignity was harmed despite being behind a six-and-a-half-foot wall in a small Argentine town in 2017. According to a report by CBS News, the man, who is a police officer, claimed the privacy invasion led to ridicule at his workplace and among his neighbours. The image reportedly showed his bare behind and failed to blur his house number and street name, which were visible online.

He initially sued Google in 2019, but a lower court dismissed the case, citing the man's "inappropriate condition" outdoors. However, an appeals panel reversed that decision this month. Google had defended itself by claiming the perimeter wall was not tall enough.


What the court said while ordering Google to pay the compensation

"This involves an image of a person 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 said, favouring the man.

Ordering Google to pay out the compensation amount, the court said: “No one wants to appear exposed to the world as the day they were born."

The court also pointed to Google’s practice of automatically blurring faces and license plates as an indication that the company recognised its responsibility to prevent harm to third parties.

However, in this case, the judges noted that the man’s “entire naked body” was visible and said the image should have been flagged.

Replying to this, the company said that “if you would like us to blur your entire house, car, or body, submit a request using the 'Report a problem' tool.”