Maria Pia Grillo appeared on Street View, took the digital giant to court, and will finally get paid
One of Google's cars scanning Montreal to gather Street View imagery captured young Maria Pia Grillo outside her home. The woman was sitting on a step, leaning forward as she looked at her phone. Her posture, as well as her outfit, helped make the moment more revealing than Maria had intended.
The woman hired a lawyer and in 2011 filed a lawsuit against Google, claiming $45,000 in damages.
Eventually, Google, which had initially “blurred” the woman’s face, proceeded to further edit the image so that the house and the area were not revealed at all. Maria, however, claimed that the damage had already been done and that there had been information on the internet for a very long time that exposed her identity, resulting in many of her relatives and colleagues recognizing her.
The court ruled today that Maria should be compensated, rejecting Google's defense claims that in a public place one cannot ask for such extensive privacy. The amount the company will pay is much less than the original as the court determined that $2,250 plus $159 for legal costs is enough for the woman's moral rehabilitation.
Source: lifo.gr
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