Google street nude? Man pictured naked in his yard gets payout
Argentine court rules Google violated dignity by capturing and publishing homeowner’s image from his backyard
An Argentine captured naked in his yard by a Google Street View camera has been awarded compensation by a court after his bare behind was splashed over the internet for all to see.
The policeman had sought payment from the internet giant for harm to his dignity, arguing he was behind a two-metre (6.6-foot) wall when a Google camera captured him in the buff, from behind, in small-town Argentina in 2017.
His house number and street name were also laid bare, broadcast on Argentine TV covering the story, and shared widely on social media.
The man claimed the invasion exposed him to ridicule at work and among his neighbours.
Another court last year dismissed the man’s claim for damages, ruling he only had himself to blame for “walking around in inappropriate conditions in the garden of his home”.
Google, for its part, claimed the perimeter wall was not high enough.
Appeals judges, however, concluded the man’s dignity had been flagrantly violated, and awarded him an amount in Argentine pesos equivalent to about US$12,500, payable by Google.