However, we receive almost no legal inquiries from any other country in the world. While the reasons behind this fact are hard to explain, the phenomenon is already known as the “German-Paradox” (Jeff Jarvis at re:publica 2010, Berlin) and we commented upon it on our German blog last April.

At 123people we believe that the Internet and new products and services will continue to develop at a more accelerated rate and people will have to adapt their social behaviors to remain part of the communication society.

You can’t hide in a cave, but expect human communication and interaction – embrace the new reality and make it work for you!

I suppose the same could be said if Google find some info about you that you did not yourself pubish.

“Thomas Müller”

you get a Photo of a german soccer player (which is correct but maybe not the only TM in germany)
and a Photo of the SS (3rd Reich)

What does that mean?
All “Thomas Müller” in Germany are Soccerplayer and Nazis?

These Searchengines are Crap!

I have my privacy settings for my photos set to “Friends Only”. Now, maybe I’m unusual, but I don’t generally consider non-living persons such as internet people search companies friends. I don’t even think of them as acquaintances, for that matter. Not only that, having my privacy setting set to Friends Only would, I’d think, not only not imply consent to the use of my photo by a third party, but pretty explicitly indicate that in fact I do not give them consent to use my photo.

Someone on Facebook posts a photograph of me, puts my name on it, but does not actually tag it with a link to my account. This permits the photo to show up in searches on my name, but doesn’t actively inform me that a photo of me has been posted by a third party. Furthermore, this photo was taken in a private setting but outside of my awareness of the act of taking the picture, nor was any kind of model release signed by me. Where is the implied consent of the use of my image for profit by a third party?

Mostly it looks like the judge is all for letting companies use people without needing to remunerate them, nor even inform them of that use for profit.

Probable cause? Facebook.