A man faced a lengthy battle to regain access to his email account after uploading a childhood photo on Google Drive that was deemed problematic by the tech giant. This incident led him to seek legal recourse at the Gujarat High Court.The court, under Justice Vaibhavi D. Nanavati, issued a notice to Google India Pvt. Ltd. regarding the blocking of the petitioners email account due to concerns of explicit child abuse. The triggering image was a photograph depicting the petitioner as a toddler being bathed by his grandmother.Neel Shukla, a computer engineer, had innocently uploaded a collection of childhood photos on Google Drive, including the contentious picture. Google took action last April, citing a violation of its policies related to content showcasing explicit child abuse, resulting in the blocking of Shuklas account.Despite attempting to resolve the issue through Googles grievance redressal mechanism, Shukla found no success and decided to approach the high court on March 12. His legal counsel, Dipen Desai, highlighted the adverse impact on Shuklas business due to the prolonged inability to access his emails.In his plea to the court, Shukla expressed frustration over Googles characterization of the photo as explicit child abuse, leading to the complete blocking of his account and business operations. Despite reaching out to local authorities and the Centres Department of Science and Technology, Shukla faced continued hurdles, prompting him to seek judicial intervention.Given the urgency of the situation, Shukla requested an expedited hearing, especially since Google notified him of potential data deletions linked to his account in April, one year after its suspension.
