Google Sued over “Street View” for Alleged Privacy Invasion
A couple living on a private road in Pittsburgh is suing Google for invasion of privacy. According to a post on the Smoking Gun, Aaron and Christine Boring accuse Google of an “intentional and/or grossly reckless invasion” of their seclusion and privacy since they live on a street that is “clearly marked with a ‘Private Road’ sign”. For their “trauma”, the couple is seeking $25,000 in damages and a court order to remove and destroy the imagery from the Internet. What is noted of interest by the Smoking Gun is that not only are pictures of the house available on Google Map but also on the Allegheny County’s Office of Property Assessments which apparently is not part of the lawsuit. This seems to be the first attempt to sue Google over alleged invasion of privacy although many pundits have previously asserted that pictures taken in public are legal. The crux of the lawsuit will apparently center around the argument that private roads are not part of public space.
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I guess they can sue airlines, private air craft, even Nasa.
Aaron and Christine Boring are just giving their money to Lawyers. Google buys their imagery from other vendors.
Hey!! Aaron and Christine Boring give me some of your excess money.
Are these people for real??? Sure, they have the “right to be let alone” but Google and it’s vendors are not interfering in their personal activities…
Vendor, schmendor … I guess Big Brother is finally here for real. Nothing like a nice picture of your home, vehicles and personal effects to be put on display against your wishes. If I wanted my home to be on the internet, I would videotape it myself and post it on YouTube. Not to mention that any wierdo, stalker and/or thief out there now can case your neighborhood without leaving their computer. So much for our rights to privacy. I, for one, am absolutely appalled, and hope the Borings win their suit. Think, people.
I’m appalled by this, also. I never gave anyone permission to put a photo of my house (a private residence) on the internet for the entire world to see. The fact that people don’t understand that this is an invasion of their privacy is unbelievable. The fact that Google is getting away with this is even more appalling.