Judge Finds Couple's Suit Against Google Boring

A federal judge in Pittsburgh has thrown out a suburban couple's suit against Google Inc. regarding online photos of their home.

The couple filed the suit claiming that the pictures violated their privacy. Aaron and Christine Boring sought more than $25,000 in damages, alleging that photos of their Franklin Park home on the Web site's "Street View" feature also lowered their property and caused them mental suffering.

According to the couple, who live on Oakridge Lane, there is a long driveway labeled "Private Road," and they claimed Google would have had to have snapped pictures from there.

In turn, Google said there is a simple process on its Web site for homeowners to seek removal of images without taking legal action.When the lawsuit was filed last April, a photo of the Boring home was taken down from Street View.

Street View permits users to locate street-level photos by clicking on a map. To obtain the pictures, Google uses vehicles with mounted digital cameras to record pictures up and down the streets for major metropolitan areas.