Google Street View has proven how seriously it takes the issue of privacy by blurring the face of an English cow.
The reclusive bovine was snapped by in Cambridgeshire in August 2015 but was thrown into the spotlight this week when it was captured by journalist David Shariatmadari.
The image has since been retweeted over 9,000 times and received over 12,000 likes.
Bovine blur
Cars mounted with cameras have scoured the planet mapping landscapes and streets since Google Street View’s launch in 2007.
Google automatically blurs human faces and license plates to combat privacy concerns. It’s unclear why the software caught the cow.
The animal is clearly visible only moments before, but the close-up receives the secrecy treatment, leading people to question whether the software recognized it as human.
A Google spokesperson admitted that clearly the automatic face-blurring technology had clearly “been a little over-zealous.”
“We thought you were pulling the udder one when we herd the moos,” a Google spokesperson told CNN. “Of course, we don’t begrudge this cow milking its five minutes of fame.”
Google wasn’t the only ones seeing the funny side.
“Some people think one cow looks much like any udder. Not so!” Said one comment. “Udderly ridiculous,” said another.
But it was probably one commentator that summed up the situation best: “Can Google filter out bad jokes as well?”