Countries engaged with Google Maps

During talks with the Indian government, Google issued a statement saying "Google has been talking and will continue to talk to the Indian government about any security concerns it may have regarding Google Earth."⁴ Google agreed to blur images on request of the Indian government.⁵

The Australian government has decided that images of sensitive areas are not a risk, due to poor level of detail.⁶ It was reported that in the lead-up to the APEC forum in Sydney held in September 2007 certain key locations in images of the city's central business district, where APEC leaders were meeting, might have been intentionally reduced in resolution; however, Google has indicated that the change was unrelated to APEC, while the NSW police said that they knew nothing about the change in Google's images. Images of the prime minister's official residence, The Lodge have not been blurred. However, images of its roof have been and the entrance to The Lodge is blurred in Google Street View.⁷

The government of Malaysia has stated that it will not ask Google to censor sensitive areas because that would identify the locations it deemed to be sensitive.⁸

List

Most military and defense facilities, along with many private homes, appear blurred in mapping services. The vast majority of Antarctica is also in low resolution due to the bright, often featureless, ice and snow making high-resolution imaging both difficult and largely unnecessary. The following is a partial list of notable known map sections that have been blurred or blanked.

Antarctica

Asia

Europe

North America

South America

See also

• Cartographic censorship

References

1. Deshpande, Rajeev (4 February 2007). "Google Earth agrees to blur pix of key Indian sites". The Times of India. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Google-Earth-agrees-to-blur-pix-of-key-Indian-sites/articleshow/1559236.cms ↩

2. "Westchester 'Blurs' Out Terror Targets On Google". WCBS-TV. 8 May 2008. Archived from the original on 10 May 2008. Retrieved 15 July 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20080510223350/http://wcbstv.com/technology/google.maps.westchester.2.719388.html ↩

3. Johnson, Jenna (22 July 2007). "Google's View of D.C. Melds New and Sharp, Old and Fuzzy". Washington Post. Retrieved 23 May 2010. https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/21/AR2007072101296.html ↩

4. "Google Earth prompts Indian fears". BBC News. 5 February 2007. Archived from the original on 8 March 2008. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/6331033.stm ↩

5. Deshpande, Rajeev (4 February 2007). "Google Earth agrees to blur pix of key Indian sites". The Times of India. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Google-Earth-agrees-to-blur-pix-of-key-Indian-sites/articleshow/1559236.cms ↩

6. Skatssoon, Judy (8 August 2005). "Lucas Heights image stays on Google". 34.0516520;150.9804300: ABC. Retrieved 3 July 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: location (link) http://abc.net.au/science/articles/2005/08/08/1432823.htm ↩

7. Moses, Asher (13 August 2007). "Google's photos of Sydney go all fuzzy". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 13 August 2007. http://www.smh.com.au/news/web/aerial-images-of-cbd-fuzzed-out-before-apec/2007/08/13/1186857396182.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap1 ↩

8. Parliament In Brief: 'No need to blur images' Archived May 9, 2007, at the Wayback Machine http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/nst/Wednesday/National/20070328080627/Article/local1_html ↩

9. "The places you can't see on Google Earth". 9news. Retrieved 2021-10-16. https://www.9news.com.au/technology/google-earth-places-you-cant-see-blurring-maps-hidden-secret-hidden-photos-area-51/e7728750-ac4b-4130-90c8-8add56269986 ↩

10. https://x.com/AlandManurung/status/1821885255445573724/photo/1 https://x.com/AlandManurung/status/1821885255445573724/photo/1 ↩

11. Christopher Giles & Jack Goodman (17 May 2021). "Israel-Gaza: Why is the region blurry on Google Maps?". BBC News. Retrieved March 12, 2024. https://www.bbc.com/news/57102499 ↩

12. PC, Paul Escallier-Maximum (13 May 2011). "Access Denied! 18 Places Google Maps Won't Let You See". Gizmodo. https://gizmodo.com/access-denied-18-places-google-maps-wont-let-you-see-5801644 ↩

13. "Edificio invisible en Madrid". Urbanity.es. 5 May 2010. Retrieved 3 July 2013. http://www.urbanity.es/foro/edificios-en-general-mad/18735-edificio-invisible-en-madrid.html ↩

14. "Photo of Pozuelo de Alarcón – Antenas del cuartel de transmisiones". Panoramio. 18 February 2007. Retrieved 3 July 2013. https://www.panoramio.com/photo/870185 ↩

15. "Bloques Tematicos" (PDF). https://www.juntadeandalucia.es/medioambiente/web/Bloques_Tematicos/Patrimonio_Natural._Uso_Y_Gestion/Espacios_Protegidos/PORN/PORN_PRUG_PN_Estrecho/PORN_Estrecho/mapa12.pdf ↩

16. Rubio, Yaiza; Brezo, Félix (18 June 2013). "The Over-Exposure of Geographic Information About Installations of Interest for Defence in the Network". Journal of the Spanish Institute of Strategic Studies: 24. Retrieved 12 November 2019. http://revista.ieee.es/article/download/717/1311/ ↩

17. "5 lugares en España que están censurados en Google Maps y por qué". Cadena SER (in Spanish). 2016-12-05. Retrieved 2022-10-16. https://cadenaser.com/ser/2016/12/05/ciencia/1480925125_235143.html ↩

18. PC, Paul Escallier-Maximum (13 May 2011). "Access Denied! 18 Places Google Maps Won't Let You See". Gizmodo. https://gizmodo.com/access-denied-18-places-google-maps-wont-let-you-see-5801644 ↩

19. PC, Paul Escallier-Maximum (13 May 2011). "Access Denied! 18 Places Google Maps Won't Let You See". Gizmodo. https://gizmodo.com/access-denied-18-places-google-maps-wont-let-you-see-5801644 ↩

20. PC, Paul Escallier-Maximum (13 May 2011). "Access Denied! 18 Places Google Maps Won't Let You See". Gizmodo. https://gizmodo.com/access-denied-18-places-google-maps-wont-let-you-see-5801644 ↩