An Argentinian man recently won a legal battle against tech giant Google after being photographed naked in his own yard and then posted on Google Street View for everyone to see.
Although the lawsuit filed by the unnamed man only recently ended, the incident goes back to 2017, when a Google Street View car passed through Bragado, a small Argentinian town about 200 kilometers from Buenos Aires, right when a local man was out completely naked on his property. The photos taken by the car’s advanced camera system caught him from behind, showing his derriere in all its glory, and even though the man’s face wasn’t visible, the very clear street address in the captures made him the laughing stock of the town. Sick of putting up with the mockery, the man took Google to court for violating his privacy.
Photo: Unsplash
A lower court dismissed the lawsuit last year, ruling that the Argentinian man was responsible for the situation because he was “walking in inappropriate conditions in his yard,” but on appeal, the court ruled in favor of the plaintiff, arguing that Google had “intruded” on the plaintiff’s private sphere, “undermining his dignity.” The tech company claimed that the man’s fence was too low to protect his nakedness, but an investigation revealed that the 6-foot-high wall was tall enough, so that argument was thrown out.
“No one wants to appear to the world as God created them,” the ruling read, adding that Google was fully aware of its obligation to protect people’s privacy, as evidenced by its policy of blurring faces and license plates on Google Street View. In this instant, however, the clear street number visible on the platform made it very easy to identify the naked man.
The National Civil Appeals Chamber of Buenos Aires has ordered Google Argentina and Google Inc. to pay the plaintiff 16 million pesos, or over $12,000 euros, in compensation for damages to his dignity. The victim, a police officer, said he was ridiculed at work and in his neighborhood because of the incident.