DuckDuckGo Expands Use of Apple Maps

Post by holycrapwhodat » Tue, Jul 16, 2019, 11:49 PM UTC

dybber wrote: post #111

burlesona wrote: post #40

This is cool to see, and I think should be a virtuous cycle. As I understand it, maps is the kind of thing where more usage really helps make the map better, and while DDG doesn’t bring the scale of being the iphone’s default map, it should be adding a non-trivial amount of traffic. I’ve used Apple Maps as my primary map since it came out, and I’ve only gotten a wrong location one time in literally thousands of searc…

Apple Maps doesn’t do bike routes which is reason enough not to use it. Google Maps does a very nice job for bikes. If I should wish something of Google Maps it would be “I bring my bike on the train” routes, which is a very common and nice way to get around here in Denmark at least.

Post by kortilla » Tue, Jul 16, 2019, 11:56 PM UTC

nijave wrote: post #172

samschooler wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In DuckDuckGo's implementation at least it looks like they proxy all requests to Yelp so there is nothing Yelp gets from you in a non anon way.

Unfortunately it's incredibly difficult to become fully anonymous. Yelp can infer who you are by things like your home address (a few searches to see how far away restaurants are, for instance) This Wikipedia article has a few examples https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Data_re-identification

Post by isoskeles » Wed, Jul 17, 2019, 12:01 AM UTC

JumpCrisscross wrote: post #43

burlesona wrote: post #40

This is cool to see, and I think should be a virtuous cycle. As I understand it, maps is the kind of thing where more usage really helps make the map better, and while DDG doesn’t bring the scale of being the iphone’s default map, it should be adding a non-trivial amount of traffic. I’ve used Apple Maps as my primary map since it came out, and I’ve only gotten a wrong location one time in literally thousands of searc…

> Not saying it’s clearly better than Google If privacy is worth something to you, it’s clearly better than Google. I, too, use Apple as my primary map. In many cases, Apple Maps is better Google. The ones in which it’s behind are more than made up for by Apple’s values.

Post by velosol » Wed, Jul 17, 2019, 12:12 AM UTC

inferiorhuman wrote: post #51

rootusrootus wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I use it all the time. In Portland it is as good as GMaps is at navigating fastest route during heavy traffic. Which is to say, not perfect, but adequate. It has yet to take me to the wrong location.

Apple Maps is pretty awful in the Bay Area. My favorite recently was it's insistence that I make a left turn off of Van Ness. Left turns have largely been banned from Van Ness starting with the huge construction project, but the left turn Apple Maps was also demanding was also across a double yellow line where a left turn would've been illegal regardless of construction. Yesterday I was trying to remember if this del…

Post by icxa » Wed, Jul 17, 2019, 12:20 AM UTC

kortilla wrote: post #192

nijave wrote: post #173

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'll believe it when they're both independently audited and found to be measurably better. Apple is incredibly secretive so although they might not end up in headlines, there's no guarantee they're any better than Google.

Their business model doesn’t depend on violating your privacy. Google’s does, it’s that simple.