While Google’s Street View in Maps has given us breathtaking views of different vistas, the application has also shown us questionable and rather shocking imagery. In the case of Canadian woman Maria Pia Grillo, you can classify it as questionable imagery.
According to a 17-page decision, which was reported by GigaOM, Grillo looked up her house using Street View in 2009 when she realized there was an image of her leaning forward on her porch, revealing her cleavage. Even though the original image blurred out her face, there was enough information in the picture to identify her.
In 2011, Grillo began legal proceedings against Google, slapping the company with a $45,000 lawsuit for emotional damage, which included depression and mockery by her co-workers. Grillo also demanded that Google blur her, as well as her license plate and address. While Google complied with the latter request, the company rejected her money demands, reasoning that Grillo was in a public space and that there was no connection between her emotional distress and the Street View incident.
Earlier this month, the judge sided with Google that the incident did not appear to be directly connected to Grillo’s claimed mental distress. The judge even questioned why Grillo waited two years to file any sort of lawsuit. However, according to the judge, just because people are in a location where people can see them does not mean they forfeit their privacy rights.
The judge subsequently ordered Google to pay Grillo $2,250, as well as an additional $159 for court costs. You can see the before and after images above, which were published by tabloid Journal de Montreal. The judge’s decision can be read below, and while there’s no English version for now, several passages are in English.
