As it turns out, there is a way to prevent strangers from seeing your home online through Google Maps.

Many Americans don’t realize it, but Google actually has vehicles driving around the United States taking what are called “street view” pictures. If your home can be seen from a public street, there’s a good chance it’s on Google Maps.

How Google Maps Threatens Your Privacy

If want to find out whether your home is on Google Maps, simply go to Google Maps and type in your address. When the map appears you might see a small stick figure on the left side of the screen. Drag that stick figure to your street, and your house – and others – will appear. (Note: If the street is not highlighted in blue on the map, then your house and street have not been photographed.)

This can be a major problem for privacy because the Google picture can show strangers a great deal of your home and your life. When Fox and Friends contributor Kurt “the Cyber Guy” Knutsson went to Google Maps he discovered something bothersome — the inside of his garage and its contents, because he had left the garage door open the day the Google car drove down his road.

That’s not all that Knutson saw on Google. Google had taken a picture of his cars. MORE: http://www.jbbardot.com/how-to-hide-your-house-from-google-maps/