Google Maps just fucking SUCKS now

[kphoger]

Another interesting thing I've noticed: when I open Google Maps at home, either logged in or in incognito, it defaults to the Rochester area, same view as I would expect if I was staying at with my parents.  I checked the location of my IP address and it is showing a location around Albany as I would expect, so I don't know what's going on.  This affects Google News too - my "local" news is now coming from Rochester and not the Capital District.

Even after clearing your cache, cookies, history, etc?

[J N Winkler]

Another interesting thing I've noticed: when I open Google Maps at home, either logged in or in incognito, it defaults to the Rochester area, same view as I would expect if I was staying at with my parents.  I checked the location of my IP address and it is showing a location around Albany as I would expect, so I don't know what's going on.  This affects Google News too - my "local" news is now coming from Rochester and not the Capital District.

I suspect they are using browser fingerprinting.  The last time I ran a fingerprinting test, I found my browser (or, to be more precise, the combination of browser, graphics adapter, etc.) produced an unique hash through a screen drawing test.  There is no way to prevent such tests from being run without disabling JavaScript, and that is uncommon enough to be itself useful for fingerprinting.

[vdeane]

Another interesting thing I've noticed: when I open Google Maps at home, either logged in or in incognito, it defaults to the Rochester area, same view as I would expect if I was staying at with my parents.  I checked the location of my IP address and it is showing a location around Albany as I would expect, so I don't know what's going on.  This affects Google News too - my "local" news is now coming from Rochester and not the Capital District.

I suspect they are using browser fingerprinting.  The last time I ran a fingerprinting test, I found my browser (or, to be more precise, the combination of browser, graphics adapter, etc.) produced an unique hash through a screen drawing test.  There is no way to prevent such tests from being run without disabling JavaScript, and that is uncommon enough to be itself useful for fingerprinting.

Except I was using my former Chromebook while traveling, and this is my desktop.  And what would be the point of doing this?  If I'm traveling, I like how the default location changes.  I don't want it to be fixed to a set location no matter where I am.

I can try clearing my cache, but I don't clear cookies because I don't want to lose my auto-logins.

[stormwatch7721]

Microsoft Edge crashes after a few minutes of lurking on GSV.

[ozarkman417]

Microsoft Edge crashes after a few minutes of lurking on GSV.

Why would you even want to use Microsoft Edge in the First place?



I once forgot to sign out of my Google account on a family member's phone when they left town, and then I get shown a bunch a crap from the city they left to and my map is centered on their location on launch despite the fact I am signed in & looking at the map from my own computer and/or phone.

[stormwatch7721]

It's my favorite browser, Okay?! It just that GSV crashes after a few minutes of lurking.

[jakeroot]

I'm always logged in and globe view is now disabled for me (though it was easily re-enabled with a single click, since there was a button for it).

Disabled? As in not able to be enabled? That's definitely strange.

Disabled, as in not enabled. As I said, I only had to click one button to turn it back on.

You should have said "was disabled" not "is now disabled" (or at the very least wrote "by default" immediately following). That seems to imply that it's disabled right now. That's not how you meant it, but that's how I read it.

For the record, I tried again today and my browser still defaults to globe view. Which is fine by me.

[J N Winkler]

Except I was using my former Chromebook while traveling, and this is my desktop.

This definitely sounds like a situation in which browser fingerprinting is involved, since you say the incorrect location is given in both regular and incognito mode.  Here is what I think is going on:

*  Google fingerprints the browser on your Chromebook while you are in Rochester.

*  Back in Albany, Google detects the Chromebook, recognizes the fingerprint, and concludes all browsers connecting through the same "pipe" have a location of Rochester.  This location attribution persists across both normal and incognito mode because it is based on fingerprinting the other devices' browsers.

Fingerprinting works regardless of whether you are in incognito mode--in other words, incognito is not really incognito.

And what would be the point of doing this?  If I'm traveling, I like how the default location changes.  I don't want it to be fixed to a set location no matter where I am.

It could be a bug or future anti-feature.  I view it in the same light as (e.g.) AI software consistently misidentifying black people as chimpanzees, or Google Calendar permanently storing the wrong date for a friend's birthday because Gmail sees that I sent him an email to wish him a happy birthday and does not see that I sent it the day before the actual birthday.

I can try clearing my cache, but I don't clear cookies because I don't want to lose my auto-logins.

I wouldn't either.  And clearing cookies wouldn't work if browser fingerprinting is driving this.

[kphoger]

Similarly...  If I check the weather forecast on the Weather Underground website from my phone while travelling, it takes a few weeks upon returning home for my phone to figure out that I want Wichita to once again be my default location rather than the place I was only in for like ten minutes.

[vdeane]

Except I was using my former Chromebook while traveling, and this is my desktop.

This definitely sounds like a situation in which browser fingerprinting is involved, since you say the incorrect location is given in both regular and incognito mode.  Here is what I think is going on:

*  Google fingerprints the browser on your Chromebook while you are in Rochester.

*  Back in Albany, Google detects the Chromebook, recognizes the fingerprint, and concludes all browsers connecting through the same "pipe" have a location of Rochester.  This location attribution persists across both normal and incognito mode because it is based on fingerprinting the other devices' browsers.

Fingerprinting works regardless of whether you are in incognito mode--in other words, incognito is not really incognito.

That would be one heck of a fingerprint, because I don't think the "Chromebook" (in actuality, Chrome OS hit end of life over a year ago and I replaced it with Linux) has actually had Chrome launch in Albany in who knows how long.  I do connect it to the network periodically for updates, but not since I traveled.  And since it's only used while traveling, it would have pings from all over (although Rochester most prominently).  Granted, it's a pretty close software mirror of my desktop (although it doesn't have everything the desktop does), and both browsers are signed in to Google to sync bookmarks (and I think Google stealth added a bunch of other sync things without my approval), but still.  I'll have to check Firefox.  In any case, would there be a way to purge this location info from my profile?  I sent feedback to Google, but they'll probably ignore it as usual.

Similarly...  If I check the weather forecast on the Weather Underground website from my phone while travelling, it takes a few weeks upon returning home for my phone to figure out that I want Wichita to once again be my default location rather than the place I was only in for like ten minutes.

My phone app seems to work OK - I have the location set to "use current location from GPS".  Alas, the widget stopped working with it so I now need to explicitly open the app for more than radar.  On my computer I actually have one of my start pages set to the Weather Underground forecast for Albany.  If I'm in Rochester, I just switch to the bookmark I have set.  Elsewhere, I have to search... I used to be able to do this from the address bar via a custom search engine, but Weather Underground removed the ability to do that it seems.  Now I have to use their own search bar, which is much less convenient for trip planning.

Stuff like this is why I want to be in control of the computer, not have it assume it knows what I want, because it invariably will get it wrong.  I don't understand why tech companies keep insisting on having software assume things and taking away options for user convenience and control.

[kphoger]

Similarly...  If I check the weather forecast on the Weather Underground website from my phone while travelling, it takes a few weeks upon returning home for my phone to figure out that I want Wichita to once again be my default location rather than the place I was only in for like ten minutes.

My phone app seems to work OK - I have the location set to "use current location from GPS".  Alas, the widget stopped working with it so I now need to explicitly open the app for more than radar.  On my computer I actually have one of my start pages set to the Weather Underground forecast for Albany.  If I'm in Rochester, I just switch to the bookmark I have set.  Elsewhere, I have to search... I used to be able to do this from the address bar via a custom search engine, but Weather Underground removed the ability to do that it seems.  Now I have to use their own search bar, which is much less convenient for trip planning.

Stuff like this is why I want to be in control of the computer, not have it assume it knows what I want, because it invariably will get it wrong.  I don't understand why tech companies keep insisting on having software assume things and taking away options for user convenience and control.

I don't use the WU app.  Rather, I go to the mobile version of their website and search by city name.  I also have location turned off on my phone.  After a while of searching for Wichita on the site, it eventually learns to go to the Wichita forecast by default.  Then, when I go on a trip, I'll search for that other location just one time.  Then, when I get back to Wichita, the site defaults to that other location for like two or three weeks, and I have to search for Wichita every time.  I don't understand why it remembers the travel location after only one search, but then it can't learn my home location until a dozen searches later.

[freebrickproductions]

One thing I've noticed recently is that it seems like when you go into street view, you can't view the image date unless you click the button to view past images.

Seems rather dumb.

[jakeroot]

One thing I've noticed recently is that it seems like when you go into street view, you can't view the image date unless you click the button to view past images.

Seems rather dumb.

I just started noticing this about 48 hours ago. Gotta be a bug. It makes no sense.

[Roadsguy]

One thing I've noticed recently is that it seems like when you go into street view, you can't view the image date unless you click the button to view past images.

Seems rather dumb.

I just started noticing this about 48 hours ago. Gotta be a bug. It makes no sense.

The date still appears all the time in the bottom strip near the right. I don't remember if that was there before or not. Still annoying, though, since I still look first at the button.

[hotdogPi]

One thing I've noticed recently is that it seems like when you go into street view, you can't view the image date unless you click the button to view past images.

Seems rather dumb.

I just started noticing this about 48 hours ago. Gotta be a bug. It makes no sense.

The date still appears all the time in the bottom strip near the right. I don't remember if that was there before or not. Still annoying, though, since I still look first at the button.

It was there before. (I still have a window open from before the change.)

[mgk920]

For at least a month now, when I turn the 'labels' off on the aerial/satellite images, the logos of various sponsored locations are still there, something that is über-annoying and makes it pretty much useless if you are taking screenshots for whatever reason.



Mike

[JoePCool14]

One thing I've noticed recently is that it seems like when you go into street view, you can't view the image date unless you click the button to view past images.

Seems rather dumb.

I just started noticing this about 48 hours ago. Gotta be a bug. It makes no sense.

The date still appears all the time in the bottom strip near the right. I don't remember if that was there before or not. Still annoying, though, since I still look first at the button.

It was there before. (I still have a window open from before the change.)

I also just noticed it. As long as we can see imagery data somewhere, I don't mind. However knowing Google, I feel like it's a matter of time before they remove that too, since of course all modern tech companies hate users actually being able to see data and information.

[bandit957]

I noticed Google Street View just removed the dates of the photos. Why? Because they can.

[Roadsguy]

I noticed Google Street View just removed the dates of the photos. Why? Because they can.

Still near the bottom-right as it's always been, but I agree it's annoying.

[D-Dey65]

Recently, I was able to tag an extra parking lot at Sunken Meadow State Park, correct the name of one other parking lot there, and correct the location for George's Lighthouse Café at Montauk Point State Park, but I still can't correct the waterways that are mismarked as part of the Peconic River.

[D-Dey65]

Recently, I was able to tag an extra parking lot at Sunken Meadow State Park, correct the name of one other parking lot there, and correct the location for George's Lighthouse Café at Montauk Point State Park, but I still can't correct the waterways that are mismarked as part of the Peconic River.

Unfortunately, the correction I made for Parking Lot Number 3 at Sunken Meadow State Park was reverted!

[ErmineNotyours]

I just noticed that Acme Maps has dropped USGS topo maps from their service.  I can get them from other places, but I can't so easily switch between a topo and satellite view.

[empirestate]

I just noticed that Acme Maps has dropped USGS topo maps from their service.  I can get them from other places, but I can't so easily switch between a topo and satellite view.

You can do that on Topoview, but not at such close resolution.

[MikeTheActuary]

Someone has "hacked" the traffic on Google maps: https://9to5google.com/2020/02/02/google-maps-hack-virtual-traffic-jam/

[TheGrassGuy]

Anyone else hear notice that satellite imagery on Google Maps is lower res these days?