The submission process to get your house blurred is actually pretty simple, but it is permanent.

*Originally published on September 25, 2020:

Google Street View is one of those things that is both totally awesome and completely unsettling at the same time. The website allows anyone to look up any address and get a photographic view of the area—your home, your car, etc.

Google accomplished this photographic real-life view of everywhere by sending out cars to take these street view photographs, which are then added to their interactive map. The whole thing is perfectly legal, even though some may say it's a tad invasive.

google street car
Image credit to Fernandez-Bros (Pixabay)

When you look at some buildings and homes, though, you may notice that they're blurred.

According to SFGate, if you'd like to gain back some privacy, getting your home blurred is actually pretty easy to do. But, it is "permanent," says a Google spokesperson.

We don't have the specifics on just how Google is able to verify someone's address or car, as the company has not made that clear. But we do have the process in which you can get your house blurred:

  • First, check to see if your address in on Google Maps.
  • Once you find your residence, you can view in street view by dragging the little yellow person from the bottom right corner of the screen over the address.
  • Then, click on “Report a problem” found in the bottom right of the screen.
  • You will be taken to a screen that says “Report Inappropriate Street View” with a picture of the front of your home with your address above it. There will be a red box on the picture, which you can move to adjust to focus on the part of the image you want to be blurred. 
  • Then, you will have two choices either select a reason why you want the image blurred or report something wrong with the image. 

  • There are four options to choose from when selecting what you want to be blurred: a face home, car or license plate, or another object.
  • You will need to enter a valid email address and a captcha to submit the request.
  • Once submitted, you will receive an email from Google that it's reviewing the image, and you will either receive a confirmation email once they blur the image, or an email asking for some follow-up or more information. You can submit another request if the image is not blurred enough or still shows areas you would like not to be viewed by the entire world. 

What do you think about all of this? Are you concerned with having your home shown on Google Street View? What other ways to protect your privacy online do you know of? Share with us in the comments.