Currently, it’s challenging to avoid the surveillance of major tech companies like Google, Microsoft, or Apple, who offer users an extensive view of almost any street in the world, including your own. However, there are ways to inform these services and request the blurring of content you want to keep private.
For genuine privacy concerns, individuals can request online mapping services to blur their face, license plate, or even their entire home in their virtual navigation applications. The most well-known of these is Street View, which is found in Google Maps.
The process is uncomplicated and can be carried out on both smartphones and PCs. To begin, switch to Street View mode and position yourself in front of the object you want to blur. Then, open the three-dot menu and select the “report a problem” option, and complete the form that appears.
At this stage, you’ll need to adjust the view to highlight the area of the image that is presenting an issue, and then specify which element you want to blur: a face, your home, your car’s license plate, or another object. Once you’ve submitted your request, Google will notify you when the blurring is complete.
The process is similar on Bing Maps and its Streetside View tool. Choose “Report a privacy issue with this image” and follow the same process.
Lastly, on Apple Maps, simply send an email to [email protected] outlining your request, clearly stating the address where the feature to be blurred is located, and the company will take action. Apple asserts that it is dedicated to ensuring that no faces or license plates are identifiable in images used as part of its Look Around feature. – AFP Relaxnews
