Google faces invasion of privacy lawsuit from Pennsylvania couple
Posted by: in Products and ServicesFiled under: Products and services, Google (GOOG)
A couple in Pennsylvania who values their privacy is suing Google, Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) because its Street View product is making images of their house available for free to anyone with an internet connection. The couple argues that by Google Street View archiving views of their home, it’s being devalued.
The Boring couple (yes, that is their last name) is seeking at least $25,000 in damages from the world’s largest internet search company in what could be a big precedent. How many other “private” areas has Google Street View been able to present for free on the internet that many don’t even know about? Google is all about giving anyone information access at any time on any device — but at the cost of privacy loss for those that value it? Where is the line drawn? Right now, there doesn’t seem to be one.
This case is unique because the images of the Boring’s home seem to have been taken from the couple’s driveway, which is clearly labeled “Private Road” — it’s what the couple was seeking in 2006 when it brought the property. The publicizing of their case, however, is anything but private. Google made it clear in the response to the suit that they’ve made it quite simple to request image removal from its Street View product. The question remains — what rulebook does the company use when photographing areas for display anyway?
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