Are Google Maps good or evil?

Pop quiz: do you feel more or less secure with the arrival of Google Maps and other online mapping services?

News.com Poll

Are Google Maps scary?
Google Maps can show child predators where children play--but also help honest citizens find felons. How do online maps make you feel?

More secure
Less secure
Neither
Both

View results

I ran into that question when I got two very different news releases Monday. One argued that Google Maps helps awful people find you, but the other argued Google Maps helps you find awful people.

The first was from an outfit called Stop Child Predators, which launched a campaign to tell parents about the potential ills of Google Maps' Street View, which shows driver's-eye views of countless neighborhoods.

"This technology shows anyone in the world our communities, and exposes not only the routes from the bus stops to homes, but our children, without ever stepping foot in our neighborhoods," said Stacie Rumenap, the executive director of Stop Child Predators, in a statement.

On the other side was the announcement of CriminalSearches.com, a new service from PeopleFinders.com that said it shows where "sex offenders...thieves, violent offenders, murderers, or con artists" live in your neighborhood. The site shows people icons on a Google map; clicking an icon shows a person's photo, description, address, and criminal history.

"In a society where personal safety has become an important concern, CriminalSearches.com provides useful information that will help families feel secure in their neighborhoods and personal lives," PeopleFinders.com said, with President Bryce Lane adding, "We created CriminalSearches.com to help consumers make the most educated decisions about the people they let into their personal lives and the lives of their loved ones."

So what's the verdict? Do online maps creep you out? Or do you feel safer because they enable you to keep an eye out for threats?

Vote in the poll, and share your thoughts in the feedback section below.

PeopleFinders.com said its CriminalSearches.com site lets you scope neighborhoods for people with a criminal history.

(Credit: CriminalSearches.com)

[LivelyMapper]

I think Google Maps bring a lot of value to the world. The more information we have at our fingertips, the better our quality of life. As for Google Street View and privacy concerns, if I go down the street, take some pictures and post them on http://www.flickr.com or http://streetviewgallery.corank.com, how is this ant different than Google Street View?

[Shankland]

There are similarities, but Google goes further: Google Maps is comprehensive, searchable by address, and with the Street View interface, you can virtually recreate a drive down the street, looking as you go. Of course, with Flickr geotagging and maps, it's getting there, too, so it's mostly a matter of degree in my opinion.

[dumbfounder]

It is one thing to have a picture of a house or public place, a different thing to have a picture of a child matched with their location. And you don't need Street View to locate pedophiles, but you may need it if you want to scope out their house to plan a beat down. I personally think that there should be something to limit the scope of their picture taking to public/commercial places, as long as we can do it in a Constitutional way.

[udamdirtyape]

Just more of the climate of fear that we are supposed to be immersed in... Instead of fearing your neighbors, or fearing that your evil criminal neighbors will find you, why dont you get to know them...

[Lerianis]

Better yet, stop fearing the 'sexual predator' down the road and get to know that person. You might find that the 'sexual predator' is a better person that most of your other friends, and is being harassed just because other people dislike his/her sexuality.

[LivelyMapper]

I think Google Maps bring a lot of value to the world. The more information we have at our fingertips, the better our quality of life. (Editors' note: Ad links have been removed.)

[mstrhypno]

Given how many times I have tried to USE Google Maps and beel led in the WRONG direction BY the app, I'd have to opt for "bad," simply from a useability standpoint, if nothing else.

Of course, the street view's "peeping tom" factor also adds to my opinion by more than a little as well....

[freemarket--2008]

Have you ever actually used street view? You can't even read large signs in front of buildings, let alone peek into windows. Just more FUD.

[Vic49]

I am not using Gmail as my primary email because I value my privacy. Gmail scans (reads) your emails and collects information on you to target ads among other things. Judging from their cozy relationship with the government and "whomever," it would be quick and simple for Google to provide the information to the government and other parties. They have done this before, and remember Google saves everything. Google's mission statement is to organize information -- including information on you.

[Tsee-1968031069905097881578618]

Hysteria like this is getting way out of hand. We should be more concerned about real threats like the legalization of unconstitutional wiretaps and the recent 4th Court ruling that took away habeas corpus. I mean, is there even a case of someone using satellite maps the way these people are alleging? Can't they just drive around the neighborhood? Compare that to the millions and millions that use them for innocent purposes. Come on, will I start reading about the evils that are camcorders because, I don't know, some abusers use them?

[budeverett]

Google maps, especially with the satellite images and the street view, are a great help and benefit to me. I have to move and I've been using the maps with satellite images to check out the neighborhoods and cities. I get a bird's eye view of what a neighborhood looks like, including what stores and businesses are nearby and the size of yards and if there are many trees. When I have the address of a house or apartment I am interested in,I use the street view. I can find what the street and the house or building looks like. I can do all this without traveling long distances. Google maps are saving me time and money.

Everything on the Internet has its bad and good uses. If the Internet starts to be censored bit-by-bit or parts of it gradually banned, then there won't be much useful things left. ISP's are banning all alt newsgroups because a small percentage has child porn. P2P services may be banned because some people download copyrighted material. People want to put restrictions on Facebook and Myspace because of privacy issues. Instead of gradually doing it piece-by-oiece, whay not just ban the entire Internet?

[usualsuspect87]

If you've reached a level of paranoia that google maps can affect your feelings on safety in either direction, its time to move. I suggest Detroit or Flint.

On the other hand, i think we should burn all road atli (atlas plural?) and phone books. These have been plaguing our society for far too long.

[professionaladventurer]

People have to accept that in this world, any information "out there" about them can get put together with like and mapped by Google or who ever and published. It's out and not going back into the bag. In this "public" world I assume that everything I do can be found. I am prepared to face anything uncovered about me. It's easy to forget that these systems are filled with errors, since it's all parsed from other sources, there is no quality control standard and it easy to look at a map and go "OH MY GOD I AM SURROUNDED BY......." Turns out the data is out dated and the witch's coven has moved on.

[wigmo]

I think google maps is great, especially for easter eggs. If you have your map zoomed in on the Cleveland Area and search for "dimwit" you get the location for "The National Assembly to End the Iraq War". As recent as last week I could search for "shmuck" and get the Campaign re-election office for Dennis Kucinich. A search for "Wankers" pulls up Budget rent-a-car. It's pretty funny, especially if google maps search is tied directly into it's own search results.

[RenoDavid]

Yeah, we wouldn't want to end a war, that's crazy talk. :-P

[punterjoe]

As in so many instances, the tool is neutral. It's what the user does with it that is the real issue. Taken to extremes, you can look at nearly any advance our species has made since stepping from the primordial ooze and make a case why it's "evil" and we'd be better off without it. I'm all for empowering people with better tools, if they choose to put them to bad ends, they invited whatever retribution society takes on them. Does that make me a draconian libertarian? :)

[jamalystic]

People will always try to misuse even the very good things of life and google maps are no exception. We should not allow child predators to define what is acceptable for society. Google maps is a wonderful tool and to the many of us that have get direction to places, it is very useful. Even when the U.S. military bans google maps, i think it is a step in the wrong direction: US Military Bans Google Maps(http://www.internetevolution.com/author.asp?section_id=466&doc_id=147875&F_src=flftwo)

[Dleon84]

This is a RIDICULOUS article for the following reasons: PATRIOT ACT, EXTREME RENDITION and unwarranted WIRE-TAPPING! You're so concerned about information then maybe you should write an article on how the government is currently stalking its citizens. Get a life and write about something that is worthy of print or publication.

[Pete Bardo]

I'm more scared by folks like Stop Child Predators and CriminalSearches.com than I am ov Google maps, street view, etc. Not only is our government stalking us, they are encouraging all of us to watch our neighbors and report anything out-of-the-ordinary. They are fragmenting our neighborhoods and, thereby, our culture. It's time we stopped spying on each other and begin helping one another in our pursuit of hippiness.

[Lerianis]

That will only happen when people realize that there is nothing such as an 'abberant' sexuality. Masochism is normal, sadism is normal (though some people can and do take it a little too far), even pedosexuality is NORMAL.

If we would start realizing that there is NOTHING about sex that 'harms' children unless you have taught them that sex is 'bad' and 'wrong' (and then YOU really belong in prison because YOU have created the 'mental problems' most of those children have from the undue and unnecessary guilt they feel after making love with someone), then our society would get much better.

We could also prevent most rapes and forced sexual encounters by encouraging men and women to be MORE sexually free now, though making sure that the person that they are making love with is STD free.

[Pixelslave]

This good or bad debate is so superficial. Instead of a simple good vs bad discussion, why can't CNet thinks deeper -- Will Google Maps encourage segregation? People may want to choose to live in an area where the neighbors share their political view, social status, religion, races, etc. Yes, people used to do that, too. But with all those location based info, we can be a lot more precise now and words can be spread much quicker. Will this lead to more conflicts among groups of different thoughts, races, or classes?

[bsarte]

I'm sorry, I am a parent and a good citizen and all that.. but there is no reason that you should be able to go on the Internet and find out where criminals live. Isn't that the point of our criminal justice system (no matter how flawed it is)? You serve your time and can go on to live a semi-normal life? If we, as a society, truly believe that child predators cannot be reformed then they should get life sentencs... period.

[Lerianis]

The thing is that most 'child predators' are only predators because we have not normalized their sexuality like we did with homosexuals. If we would legalize pedosexuality and the actions connected with it... Hey, no reason to force a child into sex, because if you ask enough children.... you are going to find a willing one.

I know that from making love with adults and teenagers starting when I was 7, and seeking out those encounters MYSELF in most cases.

[bsarte]

I'm sorry, I am a parent and a good citizen and all that.. but there is no reason that you should be able to go on the Internet and find out where criminals live. Isn't that the point of our criminal justice system (no matter how flawed it is)? You serve your time and can go on to live a semi-normal life? If we, as a society, truly believe that child predators cannot be reformed then they should get life sentencs... period.

[Al57]

Google Maps and the other mapping systems are just exposing the massive (negative) societal changes happening because of the Liberals teaching that nasty "tolerance."

We're all supposed to "tolerate" bad behavior. It's to the point where you can't say anything. So what do people do? They avoid places and other people. People are just finding ways to help people avoid other people.

This "tolerance" short-circuits our ability as a culture to grow. The way it is supposed to work is society grows with new people and their ideas/traditions, BUT, we filter out the ideas/traditions that don't fit. (It's called the melting pot.)

This goofy "tolerance" screws this up.

We as a culture tend to like spaghtetti but we don't like the Mafia. In Liberalland, we're not supposed to say anything about the Mafia because we would be judging them and that's a big no-no to Liberals.

In the media, you can see this in action when someone does open their mouth, the crime (or whatever) is immediately forgotten and the story turns into how the Mafia or gang, etc. is really a victim. (For Liberals, everyone is either a victim or a villain. Victims need Liberal help (programs) and villains need to torn down. Depending on the subject everyone is a victim or villain at various times with these people.)

Over the past few decades, we've taught kids this and now we're seeing the effects. Gangs and all sorts of bad behaviors are growing and we can't do anything about it. The police are being neutered because they get sued for trying to prevent crime.

The police learn very quickly that without public support, they're just there to try to find people who very clearly break some law and only after-the-fact. Outfits like the ACLU are ready to pounce on anyone who attempts to disparage "victims" - gangs for example.

People have to take things into their own hands because of the societal breakdown caused by Liberals. So tools based on maps that help people are justa a way to help avoid people and places. Sad but true.

If you want to learn more about the Liberal philosophy, watch the video "HOW MODERN LIBERALS THINK" on YouTube. You'll need some quiet time. Here's the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eaE98w1KZ-c

[Lerianis]

There isn't any such thing really as 'bad' behavior. And let's face facts: most of the 'bad behavior' of today comes from conservatives like you interfering in things that they should damn well be interfering in.

Namely, people's choices of sexual partners (even if those partners are MUCH younger than them), what people put into their own bodies, etc.

The facts are that the more liberal a society gets, the BETTER a society gets in the long and short run. That's been proven by the HORRIFIC things going on in the Middle East (one of the most 'conservative' places on the planet).

Get a life, get real, and stop blaming everything on 'liberals'. Start blaming it on the fact that we have made WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY too many things illegal in our society of today, like you should be.

Most of the 'victim' and 'villian' of today comes from conservatism, and their stupid belief in 'good' and 'evil' (newsflash: there is no such thing, it is all VIEWPOINT outside of killing another person, which is ALWAYS evil but very, very infinitely rarely necessary).

[Penguinisto]

Sorry, Stephen... but no joy. It's a commonality between criminal (or cop) and any information-finding service: post-industrialization allows one person to find another under most circumstances.

Unless you decide to move to, say, Mongolia or Siberia, and never speak with another human soul ever again...? Well, welcome to our interconnected society.

[rmcourtney]

Well, I do wonder one thing about criminal searches. Suppose I wind up on this list.... and suppose I am totally innocent. What does it take to get off the list? My problem with these lists is the validity of the information and confusion for the person who it targets. I personally think law enforcement should keep the lists, not a company who may not have your interest in mind. You know.... $$$$$$

[Shankland]

For what it's worth, a PeopleFinders.com representative shared this comment with me: "Accuracy is a very important issue...Unlike other players, PeopleFinders owns its data, and has a system in place to ensure the highest level of accuracy. There will always be mistakes in public records/public data, but PeopleFinders is consistently the best in the industry in removing inaccuracies."