To blur or not to blur? That is the question many homeowners are now asking themselves after reports about how the move could deter would-be criminals from burglarizing your home.
Blurring your home on Google Maps or Google Earth is nothing new, as people have been doing it for years.
But does it really work? Bored Panda spoke to several experts who say it’s a good idea as part of a larger home surveillance security plan.
Blurring your home has been around for years, but gained traction last summer
Last summer, when southern California was experiencing a rash of burglaries and break-ins, people started talking about whether blurring your home on Google maps could help deter would be criminals.
This summer, the topic has come up once again, with police and experts from across the country weighing in on whether blurring your home is helpful as a security measure, or if it does nothing.
There are even those who think that blurring your home could have adverse consequences.
Police recommend blurring your home if it gives you peace of mind
When ABC affiliate KABC first covered the story, they quoted local police as saying the measure was a great idea.
That remains the case today. Although, according to the police departments Bored Panda spoke to, the effectiveness of blurring out your home remains known.
According to Brian Pritchard, a public information officer at the Seattle Police Department’s Public Affairs Unit, police recommend taking various measures to keep your home safe.
Their comprehensive approach combines several deterrents, including “installing security cameras, alarm systems with visible signage, improved lighting and participating in a neighborhood watch program,” Pritchard said.
Their assessment of blurring your home on Google maps, meanwhile, is that “it can help protect your privacy, but on its own, it is unlikely to deter criminal activity.”
Public Information Officer Alayna Gonzalez from the Kansas City Missouri Police Department, meanwhile, said they couldn’t provide much insight into how blurring your home on Google would impact falling victim to property crime.
But, Gonzalez added, “We will encourage any KC resident to blur their residence on Google if that leads to a better feeling of safety and security in their homes.”
Expert Chris Hermann tells Bored Panda people want a “web” of security
It’s clear that home protection has become, for many people, a growing desire to fulfill.
According to Chris Hermann, a professor at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York, people are choosing to equip their homes in a “mesh or web of security surveillance.”
“More and more homeowners are installing doorbell cameras and/or mounting cameras on their homes to watch the perimeters and home entrances/garages,” Hermann told Bored Panda.
“More advanced security systems include both outdoor and indoor cameras, connected together, providing that web of surveillance,” he continued.
Hermann said many people feel that blurring their home on Google maps, or Google Earth, gives them a sense of anonymity from the public.
Others, he said, “think that blurring photos provides a simple measure of security.”
That way, potential burglars wouldn’t be able to pre-plan or strategize a break-in or burglary “if they do not have access to the photos that are posted on Google earth/maps.”
“It may bring more attention to the property”: Experts say blurring could backfire
But that line of thinking comes with a risk.
Hermann told Bored Panda that if you are the only one, or one of a few on your street or block to blur your home photos, it could become more of a red flag.
Hermann said blurring your home could be “an invitation to potential criminals, and may bring more attention to the property and provide some incentive for a potential drive-by viewing or more formal stakeout process.”
In countries where gun ownership is prevalent, netizens suggested other means of security
Plenty of people online believe firearms are the more appropriate measure for home security.
Others wisely asked about simply looking for the house next door to the one that is blurred.
“Kinda reminds me of that Simpsons joke: Look for the house next to the house with no numbers.”
Netizens talk about whether blurring your home on Google Maps is really worth it
