Want an up close view of the Eiffel Tower but can’t make it to Paris anytime soon? Google Maps is optimal for virtual sightseeing. But not every landmark is visible on the site — some images are blurred and distorted by countries for security reasons.
This means that if you want to see towns or streets in North Korea, you can’t. Also blurred is the Royal Palace in the Netherlands and even a power plant on Cornell University’s campus in Ithaca, New York.
“The satellite and aerial imagery in Google Earth and Google Maps is sourced from a wide range of both commercial and public sources,” Google spokesperson Deanna Yick tells Mashable. “These third-party providers are required to follow the law of the countries in which they operate, so some of them may blur images and then supply us with those images.”...MORE
Properties
owned by the Dutch royal family aren't the only places blurred in the
Netherlands. Joining the list are the oil tanks in Vlissingen
(pictured), as well as several army bases and air force bases. The land
area to the left also appears to be pixelated and adjusted.
Pixelated and adjusted. Ya think?
I like the Russian approach, none of that pixelating for them:
We're
not entirely sure why this location in Russia has been blurred out,
especially since it's in the Siberian tundra. The closest city is
Egvekinot, Russia, which is a neighbor to Alaska across the Bering
Strait.
