Why do some houses appear blurry on Google Maps?
If you've ever browsed Street View, you may have noticed some blurry houses on Google Maps. The navigation service automatically blurs faces and license plates, but also has an option to hide homes there.
Google Maps may blur homes for reasons of privacy, security, or poor image quality. In addition to coverage with Google cars with 360º photos for Street View, the community itself can send videos to complement street records, but not all of them may be in the best resolution — in this case, it is possible to report a problem to the company.
Furthermore, anyone can ask Maps to blur a house, car, person or object: just fill out a form and wait for the company's approval to notice the change. This is a common measure to reinforce privacy on the app, as many facades on Google Street View can expose details about the residence, such as entry points and the people who live there, so some users try to hide the location.
A popular example of a blurred location on Google Maps is the mansion where the crime in the Richthofen case occurred, in the city of São Paulo — it is not possible to see the residence in any version of Street View, which has a history of records from 2016. However, it is not possible to confirm whether the measure was taken by Google at the request of the property owners.