A Japanese woman is getting her panties in a bunch – quite literally – and suing Google for 600,000 Yen ($7151) after seeing her underwear displayed on Street View.
The anonymous woman came across the image of her drawers on display after searching street view to see her own apartment this spring, according to the lawsuit.
Japanese newspaper Mainichi says the woman has a laundry list of complaints against the great Goog, but the main issue is the psychological distress caused by seeing her smalls so publicly on parade.
“I was overwhelmed with anxiety that I might be the target of a sex crime,” the woman – who lives alone – told a district court in the southern city of Fukuoka where the first hearings are taking place.
“It caused me to lose my job and I had to change my residence,” she said, although we personally find this claim all fur coat and no knickers.
It has also come out in the wash that the law wielding lady has obsessive-compulsive disorder which she claims was exacerbated by her concern and angst over the images.
These fears were heightened, she says, by the belief she was being secretly recorded throughout her day.
It’s not the first time Google has come under fire for its Street View service which some seem to find particularly invasive. Mr. and Mrs. Boring recently sued Google and won one dollar after claiming the software giant had trespassed on their property to get pictures of their swimming pool and offering a360-degree panoramic view of their private residence.
British group Privacy International has also railed against the service calling Google an “irresponsible adolescent” when it comes to protecting people’s privacy.
The accusation came after countless people complained of finding pictures of themselves online, including angry reactions from people seen urinating in public, topless sunbathing and emerging from gentlemen’s clubs.
Even the Pentagon has had to fight its battles with Google’s street view after revealing pictures of military bases showed up on the mapping service.
We’ve heard of washing one’s dirty laundry in public, but this new Japanese lawsuit seems to be taking things a little personally.
Seriously, if you’re so worried about people seeing your underwear, just don’t hang them up outside. We’re sorry, but this lawsuit just does not wash with us.
(Via Gawker)
