Aaron and Christine Boring state in the lawsuit that they initially made the decision to buy the house (for $163,000) in a desire for privacy. They also claimed that Google’s images violated their privacy, but also caused them distress and devalued their property, alleging that Google took the pictures from what was labeled as “private property” judging by the image detail.

 

The two were also looking for compensatory and punitive damages from Google, and demanded that the images of their home be removed from Street View, a request Google complied with.

 

However, the two were unable to convince the judge that they had actually suffered distress, and neither were they able to prove that Google had violated their privacy while taking the photos. The images were taken from the public domain, without trespassing the Boring property.

 

Street View is a feature Google added to Google Maps in 2007, which provides panoramic views in cities across the United States from ground level. For more detailed photos, Google sends its vehicles equipped with digital cameras to take pictures around major streets in the cities included in “Street View”.

 

According to Google’s policy, anyone can get Google to remove the images if they have a good reason to back up their request. The lawyer for the Boring couple did not make any comments on the court’s decision.