Access Denied! 18 Places Google Maps Won't Let You See

Google has always tried to keep a very open policy with the general public, but it can’t always be entirely forthcoming, as is the case with Google Maps . Google has very little say in what gets censored and what doesn’t, be it for personal privacy or national security. Finding censored objects on Google Maps isn’t the easiest task, as most look like imaging anomalies, rather than some big black bar with “CENSORED” written in large text.

But does Google Maps really need to be censored? In the era of open and available information, nobody likes to be left in the dark, but in the case of Google Maps and other aerial photographs, is there really much need to censor anything? Air bases and military installations certainly have the argument of national security, but they really shouldn’t have their secret projects just sitting out in the open. Perhaps just as interesting as the things being censored on Google Maps are the things that used to be censored (but that’s a whole other story).

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Szazhalombatta Oil Refinery, Hungary Hungary seems to have a bit less regard for tact when it comes to censoring things. Instead of light pixelization or blurring, they just color everything green. At least it matches the surrounding area to an extent.

Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory and GE Global Research Center Years ago, KAPL and GE joined forces in the pursuit of nuclear and atomic energies. Be it to conceal government conspiracies or protect corporate assets, both facilities appear to have been blurred considerably.

Decommissioned NATO Ammo Depot Just south of the NATO base in Oeiras is a former NATO ammunition depot. You can actually see the depot in fairly decent detail, but as soon as you zoom in too far, the entire 7 square mile region is covered by huge pixelated block.

NATO Base Joint Command- Atlantic in Oeiras Portugal It may not look censored at first glance, but check out that white building with the multi-colored outline that has clearly been cut from the image. Then try zooming in a bit closer to find a super pixelated giant block covering the entire base.