German Court Rules Google Earth is ‘Spying’ on People by Publishing Aerial Photos of Their Homes
A man has won his lawsuit against Google Earth for publishing aerial photos of his home, with a German court ruling that the tech giant has no right to share such images without his consent.
The man sued Google over aerial photos of his property in Frankfurt, Germany, published on Google Earth and Google Maps. In the lawsuit, the German homeowner, who has not been named, accused the tech giant of invading his privacy with the images.
According to a report by news outlet Deutsche Welle (DW) on Tuesday, a state court in Hesse, Germany, ruled in favor of the man in his lawsuit against Google.
The German court ruled that Google acquired the aerial images by “spying” on ordinary people because it does not inform property owners beforehand that their homes will be filmed and photographed. As a result, Google does not get their consent to publish aerial photos and information about their property on its Maps and Earth sites.
‘Nobody Must Accept’ This
The German court determined that Google had violated the privacy of the man and his family by sharing aerial images of their property on Google Earth. It found that a person’s right to privacy extends across their entire property, not just inside their home.
“Nobody must accept the worldwide publication of aerial images of their property without their consent, at least when concerning areas of a property hidden from public view,” the court says in the ruling, according to DW.
“The plaintiff’s personal space extends across the whole of the home’s parcel. The only data to be gleaned here are personal, giving clues to private lifestyle, such as the size and design of the property. Beyond this, potential weak points in the property’s security perimeter are also laid bare.”
The German court also rejected Google’s argument that its Google Earth and Map services help democratize knowledge, saying the company cannot use freedom of information to justify invading people’s privacy. Google may still appeal the court’s ruling.
The man had previously sued to have images of his home and property in Frankfurt removed from Google Street View and Apple’s Look Around service.
Image creditsHeader photo licensed via Depositphotos.
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