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Re:Google redraws the borders on maps depending on who’s loo... by bastawhiz on Saturday September 09, 2023 @11:55AM (#37446803)
I think you're wrong: what should Google have done here? Which country should Google take the side of? Arguably it's not ethically better to choose one country's self defined borders over another. Would Google be in the right to decide for themselves what the borders are?

Frankly I think it's very not-evil to show people what they expect to see. If my country adopts a time zone, I expect the times that I see to be in that timezone and not the one some company decided for me. If I look at a map, I want to see boundaries that are relevant. What if Google suggested I go to a place that was actually outside of my country's recognized borders and I couldn't reenter because I didn't bring appropriate documentation?

I guess what I'm saying is there's implicit evil in making a choice of which country to believe because nobody here is inherently right. And even if they did, showing citizens of X things which the people of X do not agree is correct is definitely not serving your users.

Re:Google redraws the borders on maps depending on who’s loo... by mcculley on Saturday September 09, 2023 @12:33PM (#37447202)
I am a citizen of the United States browsing from with the United States.

When I view the boundary between Ukraine and Russia, it shows me the dotted line around Crimea. I think it should indicate that there are at least two governments that have different ideas here and let me see their representation of the border. It should show me that it shows other people something different and make it easy to see what it shows them.

This is something a politically neutral Google would do. A Google that wants to get advertising money from both jurisdictions has no choice but to self-censor, as Google currently does. Google has made an understandable decision to put profit ahead of principles.

Re:Google redraws the borders on maps depending on who’s loo... by bastawhiz on Saturday September 09, 2023 @01:07PM (#37447591)
And in the case of India and Pakistan, where both countries have laws requiring the borders to be drawn in different specific ways? Just don't show borders at all? Make the product unavailable?
Re:Google redraws the borders on maps depending on who’s loo... by mcculley on Saturday September 09, 2023 @01:26PM (#37447804)
I am not saying that Google the corporation can do anything other than what it is doing, no matter how evil that might be interpreted by those who have lost loved ones to the Kashmir conflict.