A Frankfurt Regional Court ruled that Google's aerial and satellite imagery on Google Earth and Google Maps breaches German privacy rules when it shows property areas not visible from public streets without owner consent. The case was brought by an anonymous Frankfurt homeowner who had previously won a similar case forcing Google Street View and Apple Look Around to blur his home. Google said it strongly disagrees with the ruling and plans to appeal.
courthousenews.com
· 2026-10-23
Google blurs certain Street View locations at the request of governments, privacy groups, and individuals, covering military sites, secure government buildings, homes of wealthy or famous people, and properties blurred by mistake. In countries like the Netherlands and Germany, residents have a legal right to request their homes be blurred, which explains the high concentration of blurred properties there. Once a location is blurred, Google does not reverse the change.
engadget.com
· 2026-10-17
A writer describes a personal hobby of exploring random locations on Google Street View, including comparing current and historical captures of the same spots. In one example, a Nissan 350Z appears parked on the same narrow Tokyo street in every Street View capture dating back to 2009, based on the writer's review of Google's archived imagery.
ahmedhossamdev.com
· 2026-09-22
Google Street View publicly displays detailed exterior shots of homes, including house numbers, parked cars, and yard layouts, accessible to anyone who searches an address. Google has long allowed users to request blurring of this imagery, but the feature is hidden deep within Google Maps and rarely used because most people don't know it exists.
cnet.com
· 2026-09-01
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