Comments on: The Occupy Protesters Google-Bombed Maps http://www.nodalbits.com/bits/occupy-protesters-google-bombed-maps/ Chris Silver Smith blogging on Search Engine Marketing, Local SEO, Technology & more. Sat, 27 Apr 2013 00:09:49 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: Chris Silver Smith http://www.nodalbits.com/bits/occupy-protesters-google-bombed-maps/comment-page-1/#comment-9925 Chris Silver Smith Sat, 19 Nov 2011 02:50:36 +0000 http://www.nodalbits.com/?p=641#comment-9925 I was mainly focussing upon how user-submitted content could too easily exploit Google Maps, and this is another example of how easy it is to hijack the map information. As for the individuals who hijacked this place name in association with the Occupy Oakland movement, there are processes for honoring individuals with place names, and that would be a better choice than simply defacing the map. While it might seem harmless, Google Maps are actually used in a variety of interfaces, and vandalism of place-names in maps can result in people being unable to get to places they need to find -- imagine if emergency response personnel needed to get somewhere rapidly and if their GPS system was using Google Maps. What's more astonishing to me is that the plaza was apparently already named to honor a civil rights leader and victim of oppression -- <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_H._Ogawa" rel="nofollow">Frank H. Ogawa</a> was apparently a Japanese-American citizen who was rounded up with many others and placed in a detention camp back in 1942 when the US was at war with Japan. Despite the mistreatment, he apparently did not allow it to embitter himself, and he served the community as a city council member for many years. So, not only was the choice of Oscar Grant as an icon of the Occupy protest seemingly a logical disconnect from Wall Street and financial issues in the country -- hijacking the official name of the park actually dishonored a former victim of authoritarianism who chose to change the system by working from within the government. I would imagine the family of Ogawa could not be happy that people so cavalierly renamed the plaza that was named to honor him. As apparent proponents of victims of authoritarianism I'd suspect that the people who came up with the arbitrary idea of renaming the park were simply ignorant of the local history involved, or else they would not have effectively insulted the very sort of icon that they were trying to honor. This does make for a very good example for why a mob of people shouldn't be allowed to just hijack place-names on a whim. I was mainly focussing upon how user-submitted content could too easily exploit Google Maps, and this is another example of how easy it is to hijack the map information.

As for the individuals who hijacked this place name in association with the Occupy Oakland movement, there are processes for honoring individuals with place names, and that would be a better choice than simply defacing the map. While it might seem harmless, Google Maps are actually used in a variety of interfaces, and vandalism of place-names in maps can result in people being unable to get to places they need to find — imagine if emergency response personnel needed to get somewhere rapidly and if their GPS system was using Google Maps.

What’s more astonishing to me is that the plaza was apparently already named to honor a civil rights leader and victim of oppression — Frank H. Ogawa was apparently a Japanese-American citizen who was rounded up with many others and placed in a detention camp back in 1942 when the US was at war with Japan. Despite the mistreatment, he apparently did not allow it to embitter himself, and he served the community as a city council member for many years.

So, not only was the choice of Oscar Grant as an icon of the Occupy protest seemingly a logical disconnect from Wall Street and financial issues in the country — hijacking the official name of the park actually dishonored a former victim of authoritarianism who chose to change the system by working from within the government. I would imagine the family of Ogawa could not be happy that people so cavalierly renamed the plaza that was named to honor him.

As apparent proponents of victims of authoritarianism I’d suspect that the people who came up with the arbitrary idea of renaming the park were simply ignorant of the local history involved, or else they would not have effectively insulted the very sort of icon that they were trying to honor.

This does make for a very good example for why a mob of people shouldn’t be allowed to just hijack place-names on a whim.

]]> By: daretoeatapeach http://www.nodalbits.com/bits/occupy-protesters-google-bombed-maps/comment-page-1/#comment-9875 daretoeatapeach Thu, 17 Nov 2011 11:35:09 +0000 http://www.nodalbits.com/?p=641#comment-9875 I take it you're not from Oakland. The death of Oscar Grant is still fresh heartache around here. Like Simon & Garfunkel says, the words of the profit are written on the subway walls and I'm here to tell you that Oscar Grant graffiti is still going up all the time. You forget that his killer's trial was not so long ago. The people of Oakland thus felt betrayed by their city twice: that a police officer should so boldly shoot Oscar Grant with his hands tied behind his back and a man standing on his neck, and betrayed again when he was convicted only of manslaughter. I'm sure many people that organized around the trial have joined the 99% movement. I've seen several people wearing Oscar Grant memorial shirts in the camp. To rename the plaza in honor of a victim of police brutality is to say, "this space has been reclaimed in the name of those who have been victimized." Or more simply, "We haven't forgotten." Not simply about Oscar Grant, but also about Oscar Grant. The renaming makes clear the expectation that the campers are aware of who their enemies are (the police) and who their allies are (the good citizens still pissed about the young man's death). The organizers are aware that the police will use violence to protect those in power and and administer it freely on the powerless. In Oakland, Oscar Grant is a powerful symbol of all these things. I'd chalk the Google Maps hack up to a clever prank. The movement is full of all sorts of artful pranks. And it got you talking about Occupy Oakland, didn't it? I take it you’re not from Oakland. The death of Oscar Grant is still fresh heartache around here. Like Simon & Garfunkel says, the words of the profit are written on the subway walls and I’m here to tell you that Oscar Grant graffiti is still going up all the time. You forget that his killer’s trial was not so long ago. The people of Oakland thus felt betrayed by their city twice: that a police officer should so boldly shoot Oscar Grant with his hands tied behind his back and a man standing on his neck, and betrayed again when he was convicted only of manslaughter. I’m sure many people that organized around the trial have joined the 99% movement. I’ve seen several people wearing Oscar Grant memorial shirts in the camp.

To rename the plaza in honor of a victim of police brutality is to say, “this space has been reclaimed in the name of those who have been victimized.” Or more simply, “We haven’t forgotten.” Not simply about Oscar Grant, but also about Oscar Grant. The renaming makes clear the expectation that the campers are aware of who their enemies are (the police) and who their allies are (the good citizens still pissed about the young man’s death). The organizers are aware that the police will use violence to protect those in power and and administer it freely on the powerless. In Oakland, Oscar Grant is a powerful symbol of all these things.

I’d chalk the Google Maps hack up to a clever prank. The movement is full of all sorts of artful pranks. And it got you talking about Occupy Oakland, didn’t it?

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