Californian Father wants Google to remove image of dead son

In a macabre post-mortem Photoshop of its own archives, Google is being asked by the father of a Richmond teenage boy whose body has been splashed over the internet through their Maps service since his death in 2009 to have the image removed from their database.

Jose Barrera, whose son was shot and killed in 2009 and whose murder remains unsolved, asked Google Inc. to remove the image showing police officers standing next to the body of his then 14-year-old son, Kevin Barrera. Expressing his thoughts on KTVU-TV this past Sunday, Jose told the station that he became aware of the image last week and was upset by its presence.

Looking to handle the matter as delicately as possible, Brian McClendon, vice president of Google Maps, responded to the situation via e-mail to KTVU-TV. McClendon’s correspondence stated: “Our hearts go out to the family of this young boy. Since the media first contacted us about the image, we’ve been looking at different technical solutions”.

Long criticized for issues of privacy regarding their Maps service, Google said the image could be replaced within eight days, adding they have “never accelerated the replacement of updated satellite imagery from our maps before”.

On The Web:

Google says its working to remove image of slain teen
http://www.ktvu.com/news/news/national/father-wants-google-remove-image-dead-son/nbwmF/?icmp=cmgcontent_internallink_relatedcontent_2013_partners1

Father asks Google Maps to remove aerial image showing his dead son
http://www.firstpost.com/tech/father-asks-google-maps-to-remove-aerial-image-showing-his-dead-son-1237173.html