Google Street View Captures Birth of Baby on Sidewalk. Or Does It?

  • Share
  • Read Later

The image shows a woman lying on her back, legs ajar, as a man cradles a newborn.

But as pics of the roadside delivery spread across the Internet, bloggers and journalists alike are questioning whether it captures the miracle of birth—or a carefully staged hoax. (Read the TIME cover story, “Can We Trust Google With Our Secrets?”)

Google’s street car supposedly shot the picture outside of#37 Hubertusallee, in the Berlin suburb of Wilmersdorf.  The team at The Nine Eyes of Google Street View—a photo blog that has uncovered other bizarre street shots—spotted the image on Nov. 23.

So far no one has stepped forward to identify themselves as the mother of Wilmdersdorf’s newest babe, no German media outlet has reported on a woman going into labor street side and Google Germany called the photo a fake on its Twitter feed. Comments from local residents posted on Gizimodo cast even more doubt on the image. The “birth” apparently took place in front of a hospital. Surely the promise of an epidural would have compelled most pregnant women to waddle those few extra meters? (Are Google searches affecting the stock market? Find out here.)

Whoever constructed the photo may want to take cover because messing with Google has real life consequences. Elsewhere in Germany, Google fans have reportedly started egging the homes of people who opt out of Street View. Read the full story on Techland.