July 30, 2025, 6:44 am | Read time: 2 minutes
An Argentine police officer was photographed naked in his garden by a Google Street View camera. The image spread quickly, prompting the individual to take legal action. Now, there is a verdict.
The incident occurred back in 2017 in a small Argentine town. At the time of the photo, the man was naked in his garden, which is behind a wall about two meters high. A passing vehicle with a camera managed to capture him nonetheless. According to the online magazine “CBS News,” it not only captured the exposed officer but also his house number and street, making him easily identifiable. As a result, he sought damages from Google Street View.
Damages Due to Photo on Google Street View
The image quickly spread across social media and Argentine television. The individual claimed that this led to ridicule both at work and in his neighborhood. Feeling that his privacy and dignity were violated, he sued Google for damages over Street View.
An initial court dismissed the lawsuit, stating he was “inappropriately” outside. Google reportedly argued that the wall was not high enough to provide adequate privacy. The officer appealed, and another court reached a different conclusion. The judges found an “extraordinary violation of dignity” and awarded the man compensation of about $12,500 (approximately 10,730 euros).
Need for Improvement in Google’s Street View?
The court determined that the man was not in a publicly accessible area at the time of the photo but was protected on his private property behind a wall taller than an average person. This led the court to conclude a clear invasion of privacy. Additionally, the court noted Google’s standard practice of automatically blurring faces and license plates in its imagery.
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These technical measures were seen as an indication that Google is aware of its responsibility to protect third parties from potential disadvantages. In this case, the rest of the individual’s body should have been anonymized as well. However, automatic blurring of all sensitive image content does not currently occur–users must request such anonymization from Google themselves. Whether Google will adjust this in the future remains uncertain.