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Google shuts down Maps editor after peeing Android debacle

Google shuts down Maps editor after peeing Android debacle

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It looks like saying sorry wasn't enough. After Google was forced to apologize for an image of the Android mascot urinating on the Apple logo in Google Maps last month, the company is temporarily shutting down its maps editor, Map Maker, until it can appropriately respond to people abusing the tool.

Spam in Map Maker edits has apparently escalated in recent months, to the point that the Map Maker team is having trouble contending with both the abuse and legitimate edits. Until they can get a handle on the situation, edits will be frozen from May 12th on. In a product forums post, team member Pavithra Kanakarajan writes, "We believe that it is more fair to only say that if we do not have the capacity to review edits at roughly the rate they come in, we have to take a pause."

Map Maker

Google has struggled to make an about face in its review process for Map Maker edits in the weeks since the Android blowup. Where it was previously extremely lax, every edit is reviewed manually right now. With the team seemingly overwhelmed, it's unclear when an improved tool will return.