Poland asks Google to hide military bases on street view

Poland’s Ministry of Defense has requested that Google “hide” images of military bases in the Street View app.

The ministry confirmed that it has submitted an official request to Google to mask “objects important for the security and defense of the state” in Google Maps, Google Earth, and Google Street View, CE Report quotes ATA.

It reaffirmed that Google Maps and Google Earth have completed the process of masking the locations indicated by the ministry, while Google Street View is in the preparation phase for implementation.

The request came after an investigation by the Polish media outlet Interia revealed that Google Street View had, for years, displayed potentially sensitive details such as the locations of security cameras, radar systems, antennas, and armed soldiers at bases across the country, with images dating from 2019 to July 2025.

Although major military sites have long been blurred on Google Maps and Google Earth, the investigation found that Street View images of these locations remained fully accessible.

However, in response to the investigation, the ministry downplayed the risks, emphasizing that the images are “outdated” and reflect only the conditions at the time they were taken—mostly years ago—rather than the current state of the bases.