ITHACA -- Google Maps gives users a bird's eye view of the world around them, but did you know there are some places you are not allowed to see? Some landmarks are blurred including one in Central New York you might not know about. Do you think you know where it is?
It's the power plant on the campus of Cornell University in Ithaca. The Cornell University Combined Heat and Power Plant, which opened in 2010, is blurred on Google Maps. The high-tech, eco-friendly facility generates electricity from natural gas as a part of the university's effort to lower its carbon dioxide emissions. It may seem reasonable to have it blurred, but have a call out to Cornell to find out exactly why.
There are other images blurred and distorted on the website as well due to security concerns. For example, you can't see the Buffalo Niagara International Airport on Google Maps. And there are other landmarks across the country and around the world that are blurred as well, including towns and streets in North Korea. You also won't be able to check out the Royal Palace in the Netherlands. "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 told 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."
According to Mashable, when Google Maps first launched, images of the White House and the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington D.C. were blurred. That is not the case anymore.
Click here to see all of the blurred out locations.
Are there other sites locally that you think should be blurred out? How about other sites across the country or around the world? Leave your thoughts below.
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