Days after Kenya-based local search directory Mocality accused Internet search giant Google of trying to poach its customers, OpenStreetMap (OSM) has claimed Google has been altering its maps.
The open source community claims in a blog post that users from Google IP address ranges in India “have been deleting, moving and abusing OSM data, including subtle edits like reversing one-way streets”.
The company alleges that two OpenStreetMap accounts were vandalised, affecting locations in London and New York. It says the attacks emanated from “Google's IP address, the same address in India reported by Mocality”.
Last Friday, Mocality, Kenya's largest business directory, said Google's Kenya-based business, Getting Kenyan Business Online, had accessed its database to boost its business.
Google apologised and said it would conduct a full investigation. Google's VP for products and engineering, Europe and emerging markets, Nelson Mattos, said the company was “mortified” by the incident.
Commenting on OSM's post, a Google spokesman says: “The two people who made these changes were contractors acting on their own behalf, while on the Google network. They are no longer working on Google projects.”
Disingenuous
However, Tom Hughes, who says he is an OpenStreetMap system administrator, who first discovered the issue, argues in a comment that the post is “grossly irresponsible and wholly inappropriate”.
“It seems that they want this to be some sort of organised corporate malfeasance on the part of Google, which is why they have tried to link it to the recent Mocality incident where there was indeed clear evidence of such behaviour.”
Hughes argues: “The reality in this case is that there is no evidence that this is any different to the numerous other incidents we get all the time where users either accidentally or deliberately make bogus edits.”
The only difference in this instance, argues Hughes, is that there were two accounts used and the users “involved happen to (presumably) work for Google”.
“That is the sum total of what we know, and on the back of that, and without approaching Google at all, two leading board members have decided to reveal personal information about two of our users.
“It seems to me that this is just an attempt to get some cheap publicity by trying to liken the project to the Mocality incident, and I cannot support such behaviour,” adds Hughes.
The initial post, written by board member Mikel Maron, Sysadmin Grant Slater, and founder Steve Coast, has since been updated. The open source community indicates it is talking to Google and sharing information.
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