Recently, a Tangerang resident protested against Google because he didn't want his house to be photographed and visible on Google Street View. Due to privacy and various other reasons, homes that are already shown on Google Street View can be easily hidden or blurred.
Since its launch in 2007, Google Street View is considered as something controversial. This service can be used to explore other places virtually with ease, but it also comes with considerable privacy risks.
In 2008, the North Oaks area of Minnesota, United States decided not to see photos of its area on Google services. They think Google entered their area without permission, and finally the photos taken were immediately deleted.
Google Street View does have technology that can blur faces and vehicle license plates automatically. But to blur a house or apartment on Google Street View still requires a manual process.
There are several reasons why someone might want their home to be invisible on Google Street View. For example avoiding stalkers, not wanting strangers to peek inside the house, or just protecting privacy.
Whatever the reason, here's how to hide a house in Google Street View, as quoted from Mashable, Tuesday (26/10/2021).
Open Google Maps and enter your home address.
Enter Street View mode by clicking the yellow human icon in the lower right corner of the screen, and dragging the icon to the street in front of your house on the map.
- After finding your house in Street View, click 'Report a Problem' in the lower right corner of the screen.
- You will be taken to the next page to mark your home using a red box. Make sure only your home is included in the box.
- Underneath Google asks why you blurred the photo. Since the goal is to blur the photo of the house, select the 'My Home' option.
- Fill in the fields to explain further why you want to blur the photo.
- Enter your email address, and click 'Submit' to register the request with Google.
After submitting a request to blur house photos with Google, you will receive an email explaining that Google is reviewing the reported photo and will email you back when the request has been completed.
It's likely that Google will ask for further clarification via email, and ask you to be more specific about the areas you want to blur. In that case, you'll have to repeat the whole process all over again and explain as much as possible the specific area you want to blur.
It should be noted that photos of houses that have been blurred in Street View cannot be returned to their original state or are permanent. So make sure you are absolutely sure before asking Google to hide photos of your house in Street View, and don't blur someone's house for a prank.
