How to Blur Your House From Google Street View

Why You Should Blur Your Home From Google Street View

Google Street View is a feature on Google Maps and Google Earth. It offers interactive scenery from positions along streets around the world. Google Street View provides users with a 360-degree virtual representation of our environment using content from Google and independent contributors. Users enjoy the following benefits:

• Explore the world's landmarks, including arenas, small businesses, museums, hotels, and restaurants.
• Virtual tour of a location you might be unsure of.
• Real-time navigation to any destination of choice.

Unfortunately, these Google Street View benefits have become a concern to homeowners and individuals who want privacy. Advocates consider Street View invasive and believe that persons with questionable character can use the images for nefarious activities. Security concerns include:

Privacy Reasons

Strangers can use Google Street View to learn a lot about you. Anyone can know when you bought a new car, when you’ve made an addition or subtraction to your property, or where the delivery man drops your parcels. Also, intruders can use the Street View feature to cross-reference your written address and find details of your home. 

Online Stalkers and Thieves

Some criminals who use the Street View feature to study their targets. These people can scope their prey by viewing their properties for potential security weaknesses. They use Google Street View to remotely inspect your home without raising the kind of suspicion they would by driving around. Obtained images can show details such as easy access to windows and doors, dogs on the property, low edges for hiding, and easy getaway positions around your property.

Prying Neighbors

Prying neighbors can use Google Street View to obtain a precise location for law enforcement officers to apprehend you if they want to get you into trouble for one local code violation or another.

Unsolicited Marketers

Some business owners who provide services needed for homes can use the Street View feature to scout for potential customers. They use it to view houses in need of repairs or external work and try to target them with unsolicited marketing efforts.

The Pros of Blurring Your House From Google Street View

Google allows you to blur your house from Street View. Here are some advantages to it:

• You get your much-desired privacy. Strangers cannot view your property online or know when you make changes.
• Unscrupulous individuals can no longer see your house.
• You can carry on your daily activities without worrying about others monitoring or stalking you and looking for your vulnerabilities.
• Your property cannot be used as part of a property commercial. Some realtors pick property images off Street View for commercials. Blurring your house would prevent commercial use for false advertising.

The Cons of Blurring Your House From Google Street View

Although blurring your house helps to maintain your privacy, it comes with the following disadvantages:

• Blurring your house is permanent. Once done, you cannot unblur it.
• Having your home blurred on Google Street View puts you at a disadvantage with finding a buyer should you intend to sell the property.
• A person interested in buying your property may not share your privacy or security concerns and would like to see the property on Google Maps. Blurring your property can be a deal-breaker for potential buyers.
• People use Street View features to ensure they are at the precise location. By blurring your house, you take the tool away from others.
• Your deliveries may not arrive on time. Service providers sometimes use Google Street View to confirm they have the right address. Blurring your home may take away this ability and slow down your deliveries or have them returned in some instances.
• Your guests may not arrive at the scheduled time. They will be unable to confirm which property is yours.
• Google is not the only company with images of your house. Bing, Apple, Yandex, and others may all have pictures of your home. While you can also blur your home from these platforms, it could be very time-consuming.
• You may have to regularly confirm that your house remains blurred as Google periodically updates street images, and your house may be back on Street View.
• Blurring your home attracts unnecessary attention to your property. People become curious as to why the property is blurred and if the owners have something to hide.

How to Blur your House on Google Street View

If you do not want your house visible to anyone online, you can hide it from the public with the following steps:

• Go to maps.google.com.
• Navigate to your home on the map.
• Enter the Street View mode by dragging the ‘yellow man’ from the lower right corner of the map to the road right in front of your house.
• Ensure the view is focused on your property.
• At the bottom left hand of your screen, click on Report a Problem.
• Ensure the address matches your home address. If not, go back and retry refocusing the view on your property.
• Adjust the image preview focusing it on your home. You can use the targeting box and ensure it covers only your house.
• On the question below the image preview asking what you intend to blur, click on “my home.”
• Include additional information as to why you want to blur your house. You can cite security or privacy reasons here.
• Provide an email address in the required field.
• Confirm that you are human by completing the captcha, then submit.
• Upon submission, you should get an email from Google. The email states that a review process for your blur request is ongoing and you will be contacted upon completion.

The process typically takes a few days, from 48 hours to seven days. It is worth noting that even though you blur your house from Street View, your home is still visible from the satellite view.

Conclusion

Blurring your house from Google Street View depends on your privacy concerns and requires some consideration. Following the steps above will get your house image off Google Street View. However, before deciding on it, consider the merits and demerits of blurring your property. Remember that blurring your house is not reversible.