Boring Google case thrown out

A court case against Google has been thrown out of a US court. Aaron and Christine Boring accused Google of violating their privacy as the Street View feature in Google Maps showed a picture of their house. This had caused Mr and Mrs Boring mental suffering and devalued their home, the plaintiffs had argued. The Borings, from Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania, were claiming $25,000 (about £18,000) in damages. However, the claims were given short shrift by the judge. "It is easy to imagine that many whose property appears on Google's virtual maps resent the privacy implications, [but] it is hard to believe that any - other than the most exquisitely sensitive - would suffer shame," Judge Amy Reynolds Hay said in her judgement. A Google spokeswoman said: "We are pleased that the judge agreed this suit was without merit. Google respects individual privacy. "We blur identifiable faces and license plates in Street View and we offer easy-to-use removal tools so users can decide for themselves whether or not they want a given image to appear in Street View. It is unfortunate the parties involved decided to pursue litigation instead of making use of these tools," the spokeswoman continued. http://maps.google.com