A BLOKE caught starkers in his garden by a Google Street View car for all to see on the internet has won more than £9,000 in compensation.
The man’s bare backside was pictured by the tech giant’s cameras as it shot routes around a small town in Argentina.
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He claimed that he was stood behind a two metre wall when the embarrassing incident took place back in 2017.
His bum was exposed for all to see on the platform, and the story was eventually covered by local Argentine TV as well as being shared widely on social media.
The individual – who is a policeman – sought payment from Google for harm to his dignity.
Last year, a court dismissed the claim for damages, ruling he only had himself to blame for “walking around in inappropriate conditions in the garden of his home”.
Google claimed the perimeter wall was not high enough.
However, appeals judges have decided the man’s dignity was indeed violated.
They ordered Google to pay him £9,300 / $12,500.
“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,” they wrote.
The judges said “there is no doubt that in this case there was an arbitrary intrusion into another’s life.”
They also concluded that there was “no justification for (Google) to evade responsibility for this serious error that involved an intrusion into the plaintiff’s house, within his private domain, undermining his dignity.
“No one wants to appear exposed to the world as the day they were born.”
Google has had a number of nude mishaps over the years, though many appear to be deliberate exhibitionists.
They are eventually blurred out once detected.
The firm also blurs out faces, as well as car licence plates.
People can also blur out themselves, their house or a vehicle by submitting a request on Google’s website.
The judges pointed to Google’s policy as evidence that it was aware of a duty to avoid harm to third parties.
But in this case, “it was not his face that was visible but his entire naked body, an image that should also have been prevented.”
The court absolved co-accused telecoms company Cablevision SA and news site El Censor of liability for the image spreading, saying their actions had “helped highlight the misstep committed by Google.”
GOOGLE MAPS TRICK
You can use augmented reality (AR) to explore the streets on Google Maps too.
When looking up directions, users can select an augmented reality (AR) version of Live View.
This means the app that not only gives you directions, but scans the surrounding area to offer users more details about the places they pass.
This feature even highlights ATMs, and other pitstops in real time.
Image credit: Getty
