Blurred houses on Google Maps? Here's what you need to know

Google Maps is an incredibly popular app that makes navigation, planning road trips, and finding places an absolute breeze. The app goes beyond just a 2D map view, with features like Street View showing you exactly where you need to go. However, you might notice that Google has blurred some houses on Street View. You aren’t having network issues. Instead, whoever lives there likely asked Google to do this for privacy concerns. If you want to do the same, here’s how to blur your house on Google Maps.

Why are some houses blurred out on Google Maps?

You may have seen a Google car with a massive camera on top taking photos for Street View. The service launched back in 2007, and since then, you can use Street View to check out various sights in more than 83 countries, with Google using around 220 billion images to create a 360-degree view of different locations. Apart from making finding places easier by providing a look at exactly where you need to go, there are plenty of interesting things to see on Street View. Some people have even gone out of their way to ensure they appear in the shot when the Google car rolls by.

However, not everyone is happy about Street View, with many privacy advocates raising concerns about using the technology. Google automatically blurs out people’s faces and car license plates on Google Maps. However, there is plenty of information someone can gauge by looking at specific images.

Street View on residential streets can provide a surprisingly in-depth look at the neighborhood and individual houses. This includes everything from which car you have in the driveway, potential entry points, where delivery drivers leave packages, and even hint at how many people live in a particular household. Google says that Street View only shows people what they would see from publicly accessible roads, but the option to get “research” done on a computer or phone isn’t something people want to give stalkers, burglars, and other malicious actors.

Luckily, you can do something about this. Google lets you send a request to blur your house on Google Maps and Street View. While people can still look at your neighborhood and gain information, they won’t get a direct, detailed view of your home and everything you have outside. If your privacy is important, you may want to blur your house on Google Maps.

How to blur your house on Google Maps

Blurring your house on Google Maps is a relatively simple process. But you can only do so on a computer, not the Google Maps app.

1. Go to the Google Maps website and enter your home address in the search bar at the top right corner.
2. Enter Street View by clicking on the image in the lower-right corner, or dragging and dropping the yellow character in the right spot.
3. Click on Report a problem. It’s in the lower=right corner, in tiny text.
4. Under the Why are you reporting this image section, select My home next to Request blurring.
5. Add as much information as possible about what you want to blur. Enter your email address, complete the reCaptcha verification, and click Submit.

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