BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — A court in Argentina has ordered Google to pay approximately $12,500 to a man whose naked image was captured by a Street View camera while he was in his yard — and later broadcast online and on television.
The incident occurred in 2017 in a small town, where the man, a police officer, was seen unclothed from behind. He argued that he had been inside his property, behind a 6.5-foot wall, when the photo was taken. The image, including his house number and street name, was widely shared on social media and picked up by Argentine television.
The officer claimed the incident subjected him to ridicule in both his workplace and community, prompting his lawsuit for damages related to a violation of personal dignity.
Google countered that the wall was not high enough to ensure privacy and that the photo was captured by its vehicle-mounted camera during routine image collection for its mapping service.
A lower court dismissed the claim last year, stating the man was at fault for “walking around in inappropriate conditions in the garden of his home.”
But a panel of appeals judges reversed that ruling, stating, “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.”
Google has been ordered to pay the compensation in Argentine pesos.
