The Dutch judge argues that a name of a foundation does not equal “personal details” as defined in the current Dutch data privacy laws. Even though the name of the foundation contains the names of the complainants and Google Maps is also displaying the address information – the location where the complainants actually live – as well as pictures of the premises.
The judge then switches to an interesting philosophy, moving away from the situation at hand by arguing that:
- names of foundations typically do not match names of the people working for it
- addresses of foundations typically do not match names of the people working for it, AND Google is not making known that the addresses of the complainants and the addresses of the foundation are one and the same
- Google has rightfully requested the address information at the Dutch Chamber of Commerce
- potential use of Google Maps by burglars is only “speculative”
One wonders how this judge would feel about any presumed link between IP addresses and personal details…
Dutch language news article:
http://tweakers.net/nieuws/80133/google-nederland-wint-privacyzaak-maps-dienst.html
