As the service evolved, Google unleashed hundreds of vehicles with massive 360-degree cameras onto the streets of the world. By stitching together millions of photographs, Google launched Street View, which gives you the ability to go down to street level and see it from the ground. Instead of just seeing the roof of your house, Street View took you straight to the front door. It might be fun for some, but it’s a privacy concern for others. Keep reading to find out how to blur details of your home on Google and Apple Maps.
Here’s the backstory
The average citizen might not be concerned if the world can see their house. After all, when compared to famous people, only a handful of contacts would know the exact address. But it represents an invasion of privacy and security risk for celebrities or public figures. An excellent example of this is Apple’s CEO, Tim Cook and a recent stalking incident. A 45-year-old woman trespassed at Cook’s home in California after making a series of bizarre statements online. If you look up Cook’s home now on Google Maps and Apple Maps, you will only see a blurred image. Erecting a digital wall around a property is only one of the steps that the mapping service takes to safeguard people. A few years ago, Google revealed that it started blurring vehicle license plate numbers and visible faces. Google also blurs several military and nuclear installations around the world.
What you can do about it
Whatever the reason, you can have your house blurred on Google Maps and Apple Maps. On both platforms, it is a relatively straightforward process. Here is how you submit a request to Google:
Open Google Maps or the Street View gallery and look up your address.Tap the Street View photo you want to have blurred. The image has to show your face, home, or other identifying information.In the bottom right, click Report a problem. Complete the form. Click Submit.
For Apple Maps, the process is a bit different. To digitally remove your home from the mapping platform, you must email MapsImageCollection@apple.com and:
Ask for your house to be blurredProvide Apple with your full addressInclude additional details of the property so that Apple will know exactly which house to censor.
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