Woman successfully sues Google for showing her with 'part of her breast exposed' on Street View

The woman reported a “significant loss of personal modesty and dignity"

Google has been ordered to pay damages to a woman in Montreal after she was photographed by the company’s Street View cars sitting outside her house with “part of her breast exposed”.

Maria Pia Grillo argued that although her face was blurred in the image – which showed her leaning forward to check her phone and showing her cleavage – she remained readily identifiable as her car licence plate had been left un-blurred.

Tech site GigaOm reports that Grillo started legal proceedings against Google in 2011, asking the company to pay her $45,000 in damages.

Grillo reported suffering mockery from her co-workers at a “well-known bank” due to the image and the experienced a “significant loss of personal modesty and dignity.”

Google argued that as the picture had been taken in a public place the woman had no real expectation of privacy. Judge Alain Breault, however, rejected this, commenting that people did not forfeit their rights simply because they were in a location visible to others.

The internet giant was eventually ordered to pay $2,250 plus interest and $159 in court costs and the house was completely blurred along with Grillo’s image.