GoKawiilGoogle Street View photography is detailed enough to show house numbers, parked vehicles and the layout of a front yard, all publicly accessible to anyone who knows the address. Google Maps
Typing your home address into Google Maps and switching to Street View surfaces a level of visual detail most people have never paused to think about: the exact placement of windows and doors, the vehicles in the driveway, the security camera on the porch, the gap in the hedge that leads to the backyard. All of it is publicly accessible to anyone with an internet connection and 30 seconds to spare. Google has offered a way to remove that imagery through a blur request since Street View launched, but the option is buried far enough in the interface that most homeowners have never found it. Here’s where it is and how to use it.
Here’s exactly where it is and how the process works. It’s a simple way to take back control of your home’s online footprint and ensure that your driveway and windows aren’t part of a global database.
Here’s how to reduce how much of your home is visible online.
For more, check out essential Google Maps tips for travel.
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How to blur your home on Google Maps
You’ll need to do this on your computer since the blurring feature isn’t available in the Google Maps application on iOS or Android. It is accessible through the web browser on your mobile device, but it’s rather difficult to use, so your best option is a trusted web browser on your Mac or PC.
At maps.google.com, enter your home address in the search bar at the top-right, hit return, then click the photo of your home that appears.
Click on the photo of your home, right above your address, on the top-left part of the page. Screenshot by Nelson Aguilar/CNET
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