A woman in Germany realised that her supposedly private nude images and sex videos, stolen from her Google Cloud storage, were made available in Google search results. She tried for months to get them removed. Now, she is suing the big tech giant in what could be a landmark privacy case, titled 'Our Nudes Not Your Business'. This is yet another contest between user privacy and Google surveillance. Here is why it adds up to several issues faced by the Big Tech monopoly.<h2>What is the case of the German woman who sued Google over naked visuals?</h2>The woman, referred to in court documents as Laura, is suing Google in Ireland, the European headquarters of the tech giant. For months, she tried to get her intimate photos and sex videos removed from Google search results. The visuals were stolen from her private Google Cloud along with her ID. The content was then posted on porn websites and became easily searchable under her name.<h2>More than 2,000 URLs are thrown up by Google when searching for the private sex videos that should not have been indexed</h2>Laura is being supported in the court case by the German non-profit group HateAid. She alleged that more than 2,000 URLs were appearing in Google searches on her images and videos. Some content was initially removed after her complaints.But it didn't stop there. Now there are AI-generated deepfakes of her too. Laura's intimate content kept resurfacing in Google searches, now along with AI-generated deepfakes, said a report in Germany's DW News.<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/us-court-orders-google-to-compensate-users-for-privacy-breach-1756986043935/embed">https://www.wionews.com/videos/us-court-orders-google-to-compensate-users-for-privacy-breach-1756986043935/embed</a><h2>How the woman found the horror of her intimate visuals when merely searching her name on Google</h2>Laura found that her sex videos and naked pictures were online purely by chance, when searching her name online.&nbsp;The experience was akin to having been raped, she told Der Spiegel newspaper. It left her with post-traumatic stress disorder. She changed her job and relocated.<h2>Why the case ‘Our Nudes are Not Your Business’ against Google is important</h2>HateAid is running a campaign alongside the lawsuit titled 'Our nudes are #NotYourBusiness.'Josephine Ballon, the CEO of HateAid, which is covering the legal costs as well as future cost risks in this case, said very few such affected people can actually imagine taking the risk of suing a corporation like Google.<h2>'Right to be forgotten' is at the core of the Google vs Laura case over sexual images</h2>Ballon expects a landmark ruling to determine whether search engines must permanently remove reported images, even if re-uploaded elsewhere.&nbsp;As data protection expert Marit Hansen said, the case builds on the 2014 European Court of Justice ruling that established the right to be forgotten. Under the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), people must have control over how their data is used.Hansen noted that, while obligations for global search engine providers like Google will arise, the extent of these obligations with regard to images must now be delineated.Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/trending/google-sold-when-an-indian-man-bought-googlecom-at-12-owned-it-for-seconds-heres-what-happened-next-8963894">Google SOLD! When an Indian man bought Google.com at $12, owned it for seconds, here's what happened next</a><h2>But can Google really scrub the internet of image copies?</h2>But this is a tricky area. Filtering out exact image copies is technically easy, according to Hansen, but altered images, such as cropped or AI-generated visuals, pose a challenge. Reverse image searches used by platforms like Google aren’t always accurate, which could be used by companies to deflect responsibility, she was quoted as saying by DW.Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/google-s-big-admission-failed-to-alert-users-of-the-severity-of-turkey-earthquake-1753700838722">Google's big admission: Failed to alert millions of the severity of Turkey earthquake</a><h2>Women are often victims of privacy violations online</h2>From revenge porn to data stolen from computers, mobile phones or cloud storage apps, women have been particularly affected by the misuse of their intimate visuals, including fake or AI-generated pictures and videos. "These days, all you really need is a LinkedIn profile picture,” Hansen said.The case highlights the societal scale of the problem and the need for criminalising non-consensual deepfakes, she added, while stressing the mental toll of such incidents.Without action from the search engines, those affected will have to search for images their whole lives and submit manual removal requests, Hansen noted. This is an incredible psychological burden that "should not exist and doesn't have to exist," she added.Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/google-sparks-criticism-for-removing-black-history-month-pride-among-other-cultural-events-8713991">Google sparks criticism by removing Black History Month, Pride Month, other such events from Calendar</a><h2>Nobody is spared in online privacy violations: The Celebgate case is a precedent</h2>While Laura is possibly a common citizen, the predatory violations of privacy involving, or facilitated by, big tech giants have not spared even the most famous or wealthy. The cloud storage of private images is a minefield for privacy. The Celebgate scandal and cases in 2014 are examples. Even public figures like Taylor Swift and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni have been targets of deepfakes.

A woman is suing Google over stolen nude photos and sex videos posted online. The lawsuit demands permanent removal of intimate images and AI-generated deepfakes from search results, highlighting privacy rights and the right to be forgotten. Here is why this case matters



A woman in Germany realised that her supposedly private nude images and sex videos, stolen from her Google Cloud storage, were made available in Google search results. She tried for months to get them removed. Now, she is suing the big tech giant in what could be a landmark privacy case, titled 'Our Nudes Not Your Business'. This is yet another contest between user privacy and Google surveillance. Here is why it adds up to several issues faced by the Big Tech monopoly. What is the case of the German woman who sued Google over naked visuals? The woman, referred to in court documents as Laura, is suing Google in Ireland, the European headquarters of the tech giant. For months, she tried to get her intimate photos and sex videos removed from Google search results. The visuals were stolen from her private Google Cloud along with her ID. The content was then posted on porn websites and became easily searchable under her name. More than 2,000 URLs are thrown up by Google when searching for the private sex videos that should not have been indexed Laura is being supported in the court case by the German non-profit group HateAid. She alleged that more than 2,000 URLs were appearing in Google searches on her images and videos. Some content was initially removed after her complaints. But it didn't stop there. Now there are AI-generated deepfakes of her too. Laura's intimate content kept resurfacing in Google searches, now along with AI-generated deepfakes, said a report in Germany's DW News. https://www.wionews.com/videos/us-court-orders-google-to-compensate-users-for-privacy-breach-1756986043935/embed How the woman found the horror of her intimate visuals when merely searching her name on Google Laura found that her sex videos and naked pictures were online purely by chance, when searching her name online. The experience was akin to having been raped, she told Der Spiegel newspaper. It left her with post-traumatic stress disorder. She changed her job and relocated. Why the case ‘Our Nudes are Not Your Business’ against Google is important HateAid is running a campaign alongside the lawsuit titled 'Our nudes are #NotYourBusiness.' Josephine Ballon, the CEO of HateAid, which is covering the legal costs as well as future cost risks in this case, said very few such affected people can actually imagine taking the risk of suing a corporation like Google. 'Right to be forgotten' is at the core of the Google vs Laura case over sexual images Ballon expects a landmark ruling to determine whether search engines must permanently remove reported images, even if re-uploaded elsewhere. As data protection expert Marit Hansen said, the case builds on the 2014 European Court of Justice ruling that established the right to be forgotten. Under the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), people must have control over how their data is used. Hansen noted that, while obligations for global search engine providers like Google will arise, the extent of these obligations with regard to images must now be delineated. Also read: Google SOLD! When an Indian man bought Google.com at $12, owned it for seconds, here's what happened next But can Google really scrub the internet of image copies? But this is a tricky area. Filtering out exact image copies is technically easy, according to Hansen, but altered images, such as cropped or AI-generated visuals, pose a challenge. Reverse image searches used by platforms like Google aren’t always accurate, which could be used by companies to deflect responsibility, she was quoted as saying by DW. Also read: Google's big admission: Failed to alert millions of the severity of Turkey earthquake Women are often victims of privacy violations online From revenge porn to data stolen from computers, mobile phones or cloud storage apps, women have been particularly affected by the misuse of their intimate visuals, including fake or AI-generated pictures and videos. "These days, all you really need is a LinkedIn profile picture,” Hansen said. The case highlights the societal scale of the problem and the need for criminalising non-consensual deepfakes, she added, while stressing the mental toll of such incidents. Without action from the search engines, those affected will have to search for images their whole lives and submit manual removal requests, Hansen noted. This is an incredible psychological burden that "should not exist and doesn't have to exist," she added. Also read: Google sparks criticism by removing Black History Month, Pride Month, other such events from Calendar Nobody is spared in online privacy violations: The Celebgate case is a precedent While Laura is possibly a common citizen, the predatory violations of privacy involving, or facilitated by, big tech giants have not spared even the most famous or wealthy. The cloud storage of private images is a minefield for privacy. The Celebgate scandal and cases in 2014 are examples. Even public figures like Taylor Swift and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni have been targets of deepfakes.

A woman is suing Google over stolen nude photos and sex videos posted online. The lawsuit demands permanent removal of intimate images and AI-generated deepfakes from search results, highlighting privacy rights and the right to be forgotten. Here is why this case matters&nbsp;

She found her naked pics and sex videos online, and is suing Google. Why 'Our Nudes Not Your Business' case is important

New privacy tools will be launched by Google which will allow people to gain more control over unwanted personal images online and make sure that graphic or explicit photos are not appearing easily in search results.<o:p></o:p>

The new update over personal explicit images in Google policies means that users will now have the power to remove explicit and non-consensual imagery of themselves that they no longer wish to remain visible in searches.<o:p></o:p>

The new update means that even if explicit content is created and uploaded by an individual on a website, and now no longer wants it to be available on search, they can simply make a request for removing it from Google search.

<o:p>ALSO READ |&nbsp;</o:p><a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/replacement-of-journalists-google-tests-new-ai-tool-to-write-news-articles-617738">Google is getting AI to write news stories now. Are jobs at stake?</a>

Google has now made such forms for submitting such requests also simpler. The policy is not applicable to image users who are currently and actively commercialising. The policy is also applicable to websites which contain personal information.

<h2 class="MsoNormal">Google to send notification&nbsp;about user pop up in search<o:p></o:p></h2>

<o:p></o:p>

A new dashboard will be rolled out by Google, which is only available in the US in English initially, and will allow users to know search results which display their contact information. The users can quickly add their request for the removal of these search results from Google. A notification will also be sent by the tool when new results with information about the user pop up in a search.<o:p></o:p>

Google will also implement a new blurring setting in SafeSearch as the default on Google search for people who do not have SafeSearch filtering on.

WATCH |&nbsp;Google, Microsoft, Anthropic and OpenAi join forces

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The new settings will blur the explicit imagery, adult or graphic violent content by default when they will appear in search results. At any time, the setting can be turned off unless a person is a supervised user on a public network which has kept this setting as default and locked it.<o:p></o:p>

For example, in a Google search for images under “injury”, the search engine will blur the explicit content to prevent users from being shown graphic content. Initially, Google announced this safeguard in February and it is now going to launch it globally in August.

<o:p></o:p>

You can&nbsp;now write for&nbsp;wionews.com&nbsp;and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/content-contribution-registration-form">here</a>.

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New privacy tools will be launched by Google which will allow people to gain more control over unwanted personal images online and make sure that graphic or explicit photos are not appearing easily in search results.

New privacy tools will be launched by Google which will allow people to gain more control over unwanted personal images online and make sure that graphic or explicit photos are not appearing easily in search results. The new update over personal explicit images in Google policies means that users will now have the power to remove explicit and non-consensual imagery of themselves that they no longer wish to remain visible in searches. The new update means that even if explicit content is created and uploaded by an individual on a website, and now no longer wants it to be available on search, they can simply make a request for removing it from Google search. ALSO READ | Google is getting AI to write news stories now. Are jobs at stake? Google has now made such forms for submitting such requests also simpler. The policy is not applicable to image users who are currently and actively commercialising. The policy is also applicable to websites which contain personal information. Google to send notification about user pop up in search A new dashboard will be rolled out by Google, which is only available in the US in English initially, and will allow users to know search results which display their contact information. The users can quickly add their request for the removal of these search results from Google. A notification will also be sent by the tool when new results with information about the user pop up in a search. Google will also implement a new blurring setting in SafeSearch as the default on Google search for people who do not have SafeSearch filtering on. WATCH | Google, Microsoft, Anthropic and OpenAi join forces The new settings will blur the explicit imagery, adult or graphic violent content by default when they will appear in search results. At any time, the setting can be turned off unless a person is a supervised user on a public network which has kept this setting as default and locked it. For example, in a Google search for images under “injury”, the search engine will blur the explicit content to prevent users from being shown graphic content. Initially, Google announced this safeguard in February and it is now going to launch it globally in August. You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here. WATCH WION LIVE HERE

Google to bring privacy tools which will delete unwanted ‘personal’ images

A group of top US justice officials accused&nbsp;Google&nbsp;in lawsuits on Monday of tracking and profiting from users' location data, despite leading consumers to think they could protect their privacy on the tech giant's services.

Google&nbsp;builds detailed profiles and sells highly targeted advertising with data collected from its billions of users -- with location being a key piece of information, argued the suits that seek to block the alleged practices.

"Google&nbsp;falsely led consumers to believe that changing their account and device settings would allow customers to protect their privacy," said Karl Racine, the attorney general in the nation's capital Washington.

These suits are the latest legal threats against&nbsp;Google&nbsp;and other US Big Tech giants, which have long faced probes and court cases but a lack of new national laws that would regulate their businesses.

Attorneys general -- states' top law enforcers and legal advisors -- from Indiana, Washington and Texas were to file suits making the same allegations against the tech colossus.

Google&nbsp;said the officials' claims were inaccurate and based on outdated assertions about its settings.

"We have always built privacy features into our products and provided robust controls for location data,"&nbsp;Google&nbsp;said in a statement. "We will vigorously defend ourselves and set the record straight."

Racine argued that from 2014 to at least 2019,&nbsp;Google&nbsp;claimed that users could turn off their "Location History" setting and "the places you go are no longer stored."

"That is false. Even when Location History is off,&nbsp;Google&nbsp;continues to collect and store users' locations," Racine's office said in a statement.

The officials also allege the Silicon Valley giant has used "dark patterns," or design tricks aimed at subtly influencing consumers' choices in ways that benefit the company.

Racine's office cited the example of repeatedly prompting users to provide location in certain apps and claiming products would not function properly without it, when in fact location was not needed for the app.

"Even a limited amount of location data, aggregated over time, can expose a person's identity and routines," Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita said in a statement.

He noted that information can be used to infer "sensitive personal details" like political or religious beliefs, income, health or life events like births and divorces.

&nbsp;

A group of top US justice officials accused Google in lawsuits on Monday of tracking and profiting from users' location data, despite leading consumers to think they could protect their privacy on the tech giant's services.

A group of top US justice officials accused Google in lawsuits on Monday of tracking and profiting from users' location data, despite leading consumers to think they could protect their privacy on the tech giant's services. Google builds detailed profiles and sells highly targeted advertising with data collected from its billions of users -- with location being a key piece of information, argued the suits that seek to block the alleged practices. "Google falsely led consumers to believe that changing their account and device settings would allow customers to protect their privacy," said Karl Racine, the attorney general in the nation's capital Washington. These suits are the latest legal threats against Google and other US Big Tech giants, which have long faced probes and court cases but a lack of new national laws that would regulate their businesses. Attorneys general -- states' top law enforcers and legal advisors -- from Indiana, Washington and Texas were to file suits making the same allegations against the tech colossus. Google said the officials' claims were inaccurate and based on outdated assertions about its settings. "We have always built privacy features into our products and provided robust controls for location data," Google said in a statement. "We will vigorously defend ourselves and set the record straight." Racine argued that from 2014 to at least 2019, Google claimed that users could turn off their "Location History" setting and "the places you go are no longer stored." "That is false. Even when Location History is off, Google continues to collect and store users' locations," Racine's office said in a statement. The officials also allege the Silicon Valley giant has used "dark patterns," or design tricks aimed at subtly influencing consumers' choices in ways that benefit the company. Racine's office cited the example of repeatedly prompting users to provide location in certain apps and claiming products would not function properly without it, when in fact location was not needed for the app. "Even a limited amount of location data, aggregated over time, can expose a person's identity and routines," Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita said in a statement. He noted that information can be used to infer "sensitive personal details" like political or religious beliefs, income, health or life events like births and divorces.

Google profited from users' location data, claims lawsuit

According to reports, the US government has allegedly issued warrants for&nbsp;search giant Google to provide data on people typing specific search terms.

A Forbes report said the FBI is issuing "keyword warrants" asking Google to provide data amid fears that innocent users may get caught.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/deeply-illogical-zuckerberg-hits-out-at-facebook-whistleblower-418514">Also Read:&nbsp; Zuckerberg hits out at Facebook whistleblower</a>

It is however unclear how many such warrants have been issued and just how much data authorities reportedly have already.

Google has reportedly defended its move asserting that it carries&nbsp;out a "rigorous process" and protects the privacy of users while supporting law enforcement officials.

The report comes amid a row over Facebook's privacy policies after a whistleblower claimed the social media giant should be regulated since its harms children and puts profits over public safety.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/critics-warn-of-apple-google-chokepoint-repression-413904">Also Read:&nbsp;Critics warn of Apple, Google 'chokepoint' repression</a>

Facebook's ex-employee Frances Haugen told US lawmakers that Facebook stokes "division and weakens our democracy" as she urged the US Congress&nbsp;to take action.

However, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg dismissed the allegations as "deeply illogical" saying: &nbsp;"I don't know any tech company that sets out to build products that make people angry or depressed."

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-lawmakers-grill-facebook-over-teen-mental-health-417319">Also Read:&nbsp;US lawmakers grill Facebook over teen mental health</a>

US lawmakers have been threatening for years to regulate social media companies.&nbsp;Senator Ed Markey said Mark "Zuckerberg's time of invading privacy was over" after&nbsp;Haugen's testimony.

Senator Amy Klobuchar added that Haugen testimony&nbsp;was a "catalyst for action" even as Zuckerberg defended the company.

According to reports, the US government has allegedly issued warrants for search giant Google to provide data on people typing specific search terms. A Forbes report said the FBI is issuing "keyword warrants" asking Google to provide data amid fears that innocent users may get caught.

According to reports, the US government has allegedly issued warrants for search giant Google to provide data on people typing specific search terms. A Forbes report said the FBI is issuing "keyword warrants" asking Google to provide data amid fears that innocent users may get caught. Also Read: Zuckerberg hits out at Facebook whistleblower It is however unclear how many such warrants have been issued and just how much data authorities reportedly have already. Google has reportedly defended its move asserting that it carries out a "rigorous process" and protects the privacy of users while supporting law enforcement officials. The report comes amid a row over Facebook's privacy policies after a whistleblower claimed the social media giant should be regulated since its harms children and puts profits over public safety. Also Read: Critics warn of Apple, Google 'chokepoint' repression Facebook's ex-employee Frances Haugen told US lawmakers that Facebook stokes "division and weakens our democracy" as she urged the US Congress to take action. However, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg dismissed the allegations as "deeply illogical" saying: "I don't know any tech company that sets out to build products that make people angry or depressed." Also Read: US lawmakers grill Facebook over teen mental health US lawmakers have been threatening for years to regulate social media companies. Senator Ed Markey said Mark "Zuckerberg's time of invading privacy was over" after Haugen's testimony. Senator Amy Klobuchar added that Haugen testimony was a "catalyst for action" even as Zuckerberg defended the company.

US government orders Google to track people searching specific names: Report

Australia's federal court found Alphabet Inc's Google misled consumers about personal location data collected through Android mobile devices, the country's competition regulator said on Friday.

The tech giant has been embroiled in legal action in the country in recent months as the government mulled and later passed a law to make Google and Facebook pay media companies for content on their platforms.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) said the court found Google wrongly claimed it could only collect information from the location history setting on user devices between January 2017 and December 2018.&nbsp;

A setting to control web and application activity, when turned on, also enabled Google to collect, store and use the data and was turned on by default on the devices, according to the ACCC.

Users were also not informed that turning off location history but leaving the "Web &amp; App Activity" setting on would allow Google to continue to collect data, the court found.

The regulator said it would seek penalties, but did not specify the amount.

A Google spokesman said that while the court had rejected many of ACCC's claims, the company disagreed with the remaining findings and was reviewing its options, including a possible appeal.

(With input from agencies)

Australia's federal court found Alphabet Inc's Google misled consumers about personal location data collected through Android mobile devices, the country's competition regulator said on Friday.

Australia's federal court found Alphabet Inc's Google misled consumers about personal location data collected through Android mobile devices, the country's competition regulator said on Friday. The tech giant has been embroiled in legal action in the country in recent months as the government mulled and later passed a law to make Google and Facebook pay media companies for content on their platforms. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) said the court found Google wrongly claimed it could only collect information from the location history setting on user devices between January 2017 and December 2018. A setting to control web and application activity, when turned on, also enabled Google to collect, store and use the data and was turned on by default on the devices, according to the ACCC. Users were also not informed that turning off location history but leaving the "Web & App Activity" setting on would allow Google to continue to collect data, the court found. The regulator said it would seek penalties, but did not specify the amount. A Google spokesman said that while the court had rejected many of ACCC's claims, the company disagreed with the remaining findings and was reviewing its options, including a possible appeal. (With input from agencies)

Australia finds Google misled customers over data collection

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She found her naked pics and sex videos online, and is suing Google. Why 'Our Nudes Not Your Business' case is important

Google to bring privacy tools which will delete unwanted ‘personal’ images

Google profited from users' location data, claims lawsuit

US government orders Google to track people searching specific names: Report

Australia finds Google misled customers over data collection