Apple Maps Image Collection

Apple collects imagery for the purposes of improving its Maps product and blurring algorithms, and uses blurred imagery to improve other Apple products and services.

Apple is conducting ground surveys with vehicles around the world to collect data to improve Apple Maps and to support the Look Around feature. Vehicle surveys may use equipment mounted on the outside of vehicles as well as iPhones, iPads, or other devices inside of vehicles. We may periodically revisit and re-collect data in some of those locations in an effort to maintain a high-quality, up-to-date map. Apple is also conducting surveys with portable systems in select pedestrian areas (for example, certain streets in San Francisco that cannot be driven). Some pedestrian surveys use a backpack system to collect data that may be used directly in Apple Maps, such as in the Look Around feature. Other pedestrian surveys use iPads, iPhones or other devices to collect data for map improvement purposes. These pedestrian surveys allow us to improve and update Apple Maps in areas where vehicles simply can’t go while using the same privacy protections as the Apple Maps vehicles.

We are committed to protecting your privacy while conducting these surveys. For example, we will blur faces and license plates on images that are published in Look Around. If you have comments or questions about this process, your privacy rights, or would like to request that a face, license plate, or your own house be blurred, please contact us.

In addition to improving Apple Maps and the algorithms that blur faces and license plates in images published in Look Around feature, Apple also will use blurred imagery collected during surveys to develop and improve other Apple products and services. This includes using data to train models powering Apple products and services, including models related to image recognition, creation, and enhancement.

For more details on how Apple Maps protects your privacy click here.  For more information on Apple’s processing of personal data please see Apple’s Privacy Policy at https://www.apple.com/legal/privacy/.