Couple sues Google over 'street view' maps

Pittsburgh (PA) - A husband and wife have filed a lawsuit against Google for its "street view" feature on Google Maps, which gives Internet users easy access to clear pictures of the front of their house.

Aaron and Christie Boring said that Google came onto the driveway of their Pittsburgh home to take pictures for its controversial service, and that having the images online is a threat to their safety.

Google calls the lawsuit inappropriate, because users can request to remove street view images from the Google Maps website. "We absolutely respect that people may not be comfortable with some of the imagery on the site. We actually make it pretty easy for people to submit a request to us to remove the imagery," said Google spokesperson Larry Yu in an interview with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

The couple also may have a difficult time proving that Google’s street view maps are an invasion of privacy. Anything that can be readily seen from a public area, like a city-owned street, can usually be published without recourse.

Google did not comment on the legal validity of the case, instead just noting that "it is unfortunate litigation was chosen to address the concern."