FADE FROM VIEW
Why are some houses blurred out on Google Maps?
Find out if you can blur your own home on Google
EVER wondered why some places in Google Maps are blurred out?
While the app has made people's commute much easier, it has also put the spotlight on many privacy issues.
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Why are some houses blurred out on Google Maps?
Google Maps offers several options to make travel and navigation easier.
The app offers simplified directions to establishments, restaurants, and other kinds of public property.
The navigation is enhanced when the user selects the Look Around feature.
The option is offered in the lower left-hand corner and gives the user a real-time look at the surrounding area.
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This selection also gives the user a more detailed glimpse at homes, houses, and private property.
The closer view gives users a look at a person's home, their driveway, the surrounding houses, and a lot more than when navigating the regular version.
However, no matter how useful the feature sounds to those visiting a new place, it can potentially help thugs and scammers to scan your house, and study all the entry and exit points.
This could potentially lead to privacy and security breaches.
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Just to avoid such scenarios, some homes are blurred out from the Google map.
The blurred-out houses mean that the home's resident has taken extra steps to ensure their property is gazed upon in advanced detail via Google Maps, Look Around, or Google Earth.
This method effectively obstructs the user's view and provides an extra measure of privacy.
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How can I blur my home on Google Maps?
Following these steps will help you to blur out your own home on Google Maps,
- Opening Google Maps
- Find your home and address
- Select the Street View or Look Around options for your residence
- Focus the view on your property
- Choose the Report A Problem feature in the bottom right-hand corner of the screen
- When directed to the step that asks: Why are you reporting this image? - select the Request Blurring tool
- Then, choose the My Home option
- From that point, you will be asked to provide additional information about the property
- When filling this out, make sure to make privacy a point
- Enter the email, type the CAPTCHA, and submit
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Following the privacy report, the process takes a couple of days to complete.
Once you are done submitting your request, you will receive this immediate message in their email: "Thank you for reporting quality issues with a Street View image.
"We're constantly working on improving our imagery, and we're excited to share that every day we are driving (and re-driving!) in more locations all over the world.
"Because of the volume of these requests, we may not follow up with you directly, but we appreciate your help in identifying this problem."
Google's list of signs someone is using your Gmail account
Google says: "If you notice any of these signs, someone else may be using your Google Account"...
- Unfamiliar changes to critical security settings
- Unauthorized financial activity
- Unusual activity notifications
Correct the setting immediately if you see unfamiliar changes to:
- Mail delegation: People with access to your Gmail
- Automatic mail forwarding
- Scheduled emails
- Your name in Gmail
- Automatic reply: Vacation responder
- Address on outgoing mail
- Blocked email addresses
- Remote access to your Gmail: IMAP or POP
- Filters that manage your incoming mail
- Labels that organize your incoming mail
Your Gmail activity might be suspicious if:
- You no longer receive emails.
- Your friends say they got spam or unusual emails from you.
- Your username has been changed.
- Your emails were deleted from your inbox and aren’t found in "Trash". You can report missing emails and possibly recover them.
- You find "Sent Emails" that you didn’t write.