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Sasquatch censored? Harrison’s landmark carving is camera shy in Google StreetView’s eyes

Local social media does a double-take upon seeing a faceless Sasquatch
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Whether intentional or not, the face of Harrison’s sitting Sasquatch is permanently blurred on Google StreetView. (Screenshot/Google StreetView)

If not even Google StreetView can get a good shot of Sasquatch, what hope is there for the rest of us?

Local Facebook groups were amused by a quirk of the interactive map-making technology that normally blurs the faces of people pictured in StreetView pictures. According to an observation originally posted on Twitter from CBC Vancouver municipal affairs reporter Justin McElroy, it seems the face-hiding feature also works on large wooden statues; the grinning face of the iconic Sasquatch statue that sits outside the welcome sign at the entrance of Harrison Hot Springs has also been blurred.

StreetView images just outside McPherson Road along Highway 9 offer the best view of the friendly but faceless Sasquatch statue. From certain angles, the Harrison Hot Springs welcome sign is also blurred in certain areas.

According to StreetView’s policies, a program automatically blurs identifiable license plate numbers and faces. While there is a link that allows users to report items for additional blurring – whether it’s a car, house or person – there does not appear to be a way to request a person or object to be un-blurred. Answers in Google Maps Help forums largely agree that once blurring is done, it’s permanent and irreversible.

If that’s indeed the case, it seems our public Sasquatch is also entitled to a little online privacy.


@adamEditor18
adam.louis@ ahobserver.com

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