this post was submitted on 09 Jun 2024
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[โ€“] [email protected] 17 points 6 months ago (1 children)

I did the same of you. I reached a high level as a google guide, was invited to google map meetings and everything.

And then I suddenly realized all my efforts were just helping this company get bigger and achieve more monopoly. The terms of use of google maps state that everything you add becomes property of google.

And then I Found OpenStreetMap.org a lovely community in which you really are building a community effort in which there is no company monopolizing and all data is open. Sadly, you can't import all the work you've done on google maps, because now it is copyright protected by Google. So we have to start again, but it is worth it.

OSM is the future if we are to hope for a fair future in online maps.

[โ€“] [email protected] 7 points 6 months ago (1 children)

I've contributed plenty to OSM, but not so much as a creative thing. I rarely upload photos to it. The question was about creative things we do.

While I agree my contributions help Google, I don't do it for them. I do it for the community. And frankly, they're mostly using Google maps.

[โ€“] [email protected] 5 points 6 months ago (1 children)

They're only using Google maps because volunteers like you keep it up to date. Slack on Google and only help out OSM, an eventually the people will come.

[โ€“] [email protected] 5 points 6 months ago

I agree. You are helping in the short term, but in the long term, you are not. In the long term, you are empowering a monopoly that steals their freedom.