Google is thinking about installing a filter on the Street View images in the US to make it more anonymous. Macworld writes that:
When Street View is rolled out in Europe, Google will alter Street View photos to make sure that faces and license plate numbers are no longer visible, and the company is also thinking about doing the same with the U.S. version of the product, said Jane Horvath, senior privacy counsel with Google.
It’s been known previously that Google would do this to the European and Canadian version due to privacy laws there, but it’s news to me that they might also do it to the US images.