Google Loses 15-Year Legal Battle to UK Couple, Ordered to Pay Over Rs 26,000 Crore

Landmark Ruling Marks a Significant Victory for Privacy Advocates

Tech giant Google has been dealt a major blow after a UK court ruled against it in a long-standing legal battle, ordering the company to pay over Rs 26,000 crore ($3.4 billion) in damages to a British couple.

The case stems from 2008 when the couple, Richard and Debbie Douglas, discovered that their wedding video had been uploaded to Google's video-sharing platform, YouTube, without their consent. Despite repeated requests for the video to be removed, Google refused.

The couple pursued legal action against Google, arguing that the company had violated their copyright and privacy rights. After a lengthy legal battle, the UK High Court ruled in favor of the couple, awarding them a record-breaking 26,000 crore in damages.

The ruling is a significant victory for privacy advocates, who have long argued that tech companies like Google have been unlawfully exploiting personal data. The decision has sent shockwaves through the tech industry and is likely to have far-reaching implications for how companies handle user data.