Argentine Man Wins ₹10.8 Lakh Payout After Google Street View Captures Him Naked

An Argentine Police officer was awarded nearly ₹10.8 lakh in compensation by Google after a Street View car captured an image of him completely naked in his backyard.

The incident occurred in 2017 in a small town, where he was photographed behind a 6-foot-6 wall. The image, later published online on Google Street View, showed him fully nude and did not blur his house number or street name.

The Man Filed Lawsuit Against Google

In 2019, the man filed a lawsuit against Google, claiming the incident caused humiliation at work and among his neighbours. He said the photo broke his privacy as it was taken inside his home.

Although a lower court initially dismissed the case, blaming the man for being “inappropriately” dressed outdoors, an appeals panel reversed the ruling this month.

Court Accuses Google of Privacy Violation

The appeals court observed that the image was not taken in a public space but from inside the man’s private property. It said the privacy breach was blatant, adding that no one wants to appear exposed to the world as the day they were born.

In its defence, Google argued that the wall surrounding the property wasn’t high enough to block the camera’s view. The court rejected the argument, citing Google’s responsibility to protect individuals’ privacy.

Blurring Policy Ignored

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

Google’s policy allows individuals to request additional blurring of houses, vehicles, or people by reporting it directly, but the man said he was unaware of the photo until after it was going around on the internet.

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