Peeing man sues Google Street View

A man is suing Google Street View for making him the laughing stock of his village after it photographed him peeing in the yard of his house.

The man, who is in his 50s, a resident in a small Anjou commune of just 3,000 in Maine-et-Loire, is demanding the immediate withdrawal of the photo - and not just for his face to be blurred as Google has already done. He is also demanding €10,000 in damages.

His lawyer said: "This presents a problem because everyone has the democratic right to a certain level of privacy. In this case, it is not serious, it is rather funny. But if he had been caught kissing another woman, the problem would be the same."

Google's lawyer has called for the case to be dismissed as the Street View service is edited from the US and not France. The internet giant also says that the man's use of an urgent summons, an emergency procedure meaning the case must appear before the court within three days, is not justified.

Street View is a service launched in 2007 to supplement Google Maps and Google Earth. It uses 360-degree film shot by a roving camera vehicle ("Google Car").

Meanwhile, Google's new privacy policy has been attacked by the French data watchdog Commission Nationale de l'Informatique et des Libertés (CNIL), which says that it contravenes the European Directive on Data Protection (95/46/EC).

The new policy was launched on March 1 and CNIL has asked Google to delay implementation, saying that "rather than promoting transparency, the terms of the new policy and the fact that Google claims it will combine data across services raise fears and questions about Google's actual practices".

European Union justice commissioner Viviane Reding has also warned Google that she has concerns about the people's privacy under the new policy

Google says that its updated policy was given to users well in advance and that a postponement would only lead to further confusion.