Boden‘s Mysterious Blur: Why Apple Maps Obscures This Swedish City

In the northern reaches of Sweden lies Boden, a city shrouded in a digital veil. A peculiar sight greets users scrolling through Apple’s satellite maps of this botanical city: a pervasive blur obscuring residential areas, churches, schools, the city center, and even the adventure pool Nordpool.

This isn’t an isolated incident. Other Swedish locations, ofen linked to military installations like the Muskö base or the Swedish Defense Radio Agency, also appear blurred on Apple’s map service, which is integrated into iPhones and Macs. These typically include facilities associated with the Swedish Armed Forces.

Historically, Boden has been known as “the lock in the north,” surrounded by five fortresses and top-secret defense facilities. While several units of the Norrbotten Regiment are still stationed in Boden, the Swedish Armed Forces have clarified that their operations are not the reason for the digital obscuring.

“The Armed Forces have nothing to do with Google and Apple’s map and satellite image services,” stated Marie Tisäter, a communicator for the Swedish Armed Forces, via email. She further explained that while unauthorized aerial and drone photography in Sweden can be punishable, satellite imagery operates under diffrent regulations.

“The Act on Protection of Geographic Information does not apply to images taken from satellites, as Swedish law cannot regulate such a collection,” Tisäter elaborated. “Thus, the Swedish Armed Forces or Land Survey cannot affect what Google, Apple, etcetera publishes in its satellite image services.” The responsibility, therefore, appears to lie with the American tech giant, Apple.

The Municipality of Boden also reports having no explanation for the city’s blurred appearance on the popular mapping service. As the digital fog over Boden persists, the question of “why” remains unanswered, with all signs pointing towards Apple for a definitive explanation.