How to blur your home on Google Street View - and why you should do it ASAP

A new ZDNET guide is going viral, detailing a critical privacy feature many Google Maps users overlook: the ability to permanently blur your home on Street Street View. The process, which Google has made available for years but rarely promotes, involves a straightforward four-step request form. Users must first locate their property in Google Maps, enter Street View by dragging the 'Pegman' icon, click 'Report a Problem' in the corner, and submit a form where they can select 'My home' under the 'Request Blurring' section. The request highlights the property with a red box for precision.

Google's Street View, captured by a fleet of specialized vehicles with high-resolution cameras, provides panoramic street-level imagery globally. While the company automatically blurs faces and license plates using AI detection algorithms, residential properties remain fully visible by default. This has raised significant privacy concerns, including geospatial data exposure, potential criminal targeting, and unwanted public attention. The blurring tool empowers users to take control, but the decision is irreversible—once a home is blurred, Google cannot revert it to the original image.

The trend of blurring homes is gaining traction as digital privacy awareness increases. The guide emphasizes that this isn't just about hiding a house; it's about controlling one's digital footprint on one of the world's most accessed platforms. For professionals, especially those in high-profile roles or with security concerns, this represents a simple yet powerful step in operational security (OpSec). The feature is available on both desktop and mobile versions of Google Maps, ensuring broad accessibility.