German court calls Google aerial imagery ‘spying’

After winning a privacy case against Google Street View and Apple Look Around, a homeowner in Frankfurt has scored a win against Google Earth and Google Maps for displaying his property.(CN) — A German court on Tuesday ruled Google is breaking Germany’s strict privacy laws by showing people’s properties on its Google Earth and Google Maps services.The Frankfurt Regional Court equated Google’s satellite and aerial 3D imagery services to “spying” when it displays pictures of property without getting permission.The ruling came in a case brought by a man in Frankfurt who’d previously forced Google Street View and Apple Look Around to blur photographs of his family’s home. The man’s identity has not been disclosed by German courts and media in keeping with the country’s privacy laws.Google did not immediately respond to a query from Courthouse News about Tuesday’s ruling. But the American tech giant is expected to appeal the decision.The Frankfurt court said Google cannot publish aerial imagery of properties, and especially areas not visible from a public street, without the consent of property owners. Besides being an invasion of privacy, aerial imagery could be used by burglars, the panel of judges ruled.“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 said, as reported by Deutsche Welle, a German state broadcaster.The judges also determined Google must provide property owners with advance notice when an area is photographed.Google countered that it was providing a public service through its aerial imagery, but the court rejected that argument.Courthouse News reporter Cain Burdeau is based in the European Union.Subscribe to our free newslettersOur weekly newsletter Closing Arguments offers the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world, while the monthly Under the Lights dishes the legal dirt from Hollywood, sports, Big Tech and the arts.Additional Reads