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TomTom’s new mapping platform and ecosystem

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Re: TomTom’s new mapping platform and ecosystem

#201

Post by zelphirkalt »

Dinux wrote: post #142

I don't understand the 'everything was better when it wasn't google' mentality that is so often found in these threads. My dad used to work at TomTom right here in the Netherlands. They used to be a fun and innovative company to work for. When it became apparent they entered a multibillion dollar business it was all about the money. As someone who used TomTom before other options became available I can honestly say t…

The problem is not only, that things are Google. The problem is, that more and more stuff being Google means fewer alternatives, which in turn means more and more websites and other things start relying on Google, which in turn causes the users to be at Google's mercy.

I don't want Google to know all websites I visit. I don't want it to know all websites I visit, which have a map widget on them. I don't want Google to have knowledge about where I am going and when I am going anywhere. Websites for example using Google maps will indirectly enable Google to actually know these things. For example if I want to book a hotel and I want to know, how I get there from the next public transport station (or if I had a car, how I drive there). If it is a Google maps widget, data about what location I am viewing will be available to Google. Google being Google, I have no doubt, that they will try to use that for profiling people.

Relying on a becoming a monopoly does not help with freedom. The fact, that uninformed developers introduce dependencies to Google products without a second thought, makes them uninformed indirect helpers of a spying company, whose profit is based on profiling people and tracking people online, to show them pesky ads. It exposes us to the whims of a capitalistically motivated tech giant, which does not have our best interest at heart. That is, why we need alternatives. That is why at least initially any alternative based on non-Google things, is a good thing. The fewer people make use of Google (dis)services the better for all of us, because they wont have the same power over our lives.

So the whole "before Google it was better" thing, is actually a "before evil tech giant monopoly" thing.

Re: TomTom’s new mapping platform and ecosystem

#202

Post by unionpivo »

dmd wrote: post #187
UltraViolence wrote: post #180

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have a TomTom PND and I swear by it. It's much better than the navigation systems built into cars (unless they're TomTom, several brands have them built-in). Also, I refuse to use Google Maps as I am loath to let Google know my travel history. I am, however, somewhat concerned that TomTom uploads my travel history to their servers, since my device has LTE/3G capability. This was used to fetch congestion information…

If I google "why is it bad for google to track you", I can find a hundred articles breathlessly telling you all the ways google is tracking you, and a hundred more on how to stop it - but none answering the question. Can someone explain to me why it's a problem? (I make the assumption that even if google doesn't do it, your carrier does, so it doesn't add anything additional to "government's ability to repress/harass…

It's never problem if it's just about small number of people.

When they track half of humanity, they can see all kinds of patterns that they, and other people can exploit.

Let's turn your question around. If all this information is that useless and harmless why are all corporations and governments spending tens of billions of dollars acquiring and keeping?

Re: TomTom’s new mapping platform and ecosystem

#203

Post by kuon »

Tom-Tom is worse than Google map for direction, and also dash unit is always not up to date, no traffic... But I really like open streetmap, and in my area it is better than google map. I hope they will be able to innovate against google.

Re: TomTom’s new mapping platform and ecosystem

#204

Post by Gasp0de »

dmd wrote: post #187
UltraViolence wrote: post #180

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have a TomTom PND and I swear by it. It's much better than the navigation systems built into cars (unless they're TomTom, several brands have them built-in). Also, I refuse to use Google Maps as I am loath to let Google know my travel history. I am, however, somewhat concerned that TomTom uploads my travel history to their servers, since my device has LTE/3G capability. This was used to fetch congestion information…

If I google "why is it bad for google to track you", I can find a hundred articles breathlessly telling you all the ways google is tracking you, and a hundred more on how to stop it - but none answering the question. Can someone explain to me why it's a problem? (I make the assumption that even if google doesn't do it, your carrier does, so it doesn't add anything additional to "government's ability to repress/harass…

Your carrier can not track you nearly as detailed as google can. Your carrier doesn't know which sites you visit (only the IPs) and they especially don't know how long you look at what, what you're buying, etc. Their location tracking is only exact to a few hundred meters whereas google can locate you with very high accuracy.

Personally, I have two reasons to avoid Google and other tech monopolies: 1. I don't want the government to be able to subpoena my data 2. I don't want to be cut off from my digital life just because some employee clicks a button. That means I'm self hosting as much as possible.

Re: TomTom’s new mapping platform and ecosystem

#205

Post by Aeolun »

Dinux wrote: post #142

I don't understand the 'everything was better when it wasn't google' mentality that is so often found in these threads. My dad used to work at TomTom right here in the Netherlands. They used to be a fun and innovative company to work for. When it became apparent they entered a multibillion dollar business it was all about the money. As someone who used TomTom before other options became available I can honestly say t…

Google maps is fantastic. It beats literally everything else I can think of.

But that’s scary. I want a competitor that offers at least roughly similar quality, but Google is so far ahead that it’s no contest.

Re: TomTom’s new mapping platform and ecosystem

#206

Post by yaddaor »

6stringmerc wrote: post #17

So who is going to be the first to merge street data with a driving sim so I can race around familiar streets at my wont? Of course it’ll eventually lead to GTA VR ugh but I can at least get what I want…blasting a Jesko on the Dallas north tollway at full chat

https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Unreal_Engine

Re: TomTom’s new mapping platform and ecosystem

#207

Post by milicat »

dmd wrote: post #194
amachefe wrote: post #190

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you don't have any problem with your daily itenary beinf tracked, then no explanation will be good enough for you. Just respect the fact that people don't want their daily activities available to 3rd parties

But that's exactly what I'm trying to understand. What is the problem people have with it? Maybe if you tell me, I'll feel the same way!

I have lots of things to hide.

Re: TomTom’s new mapping platform and ecosystem

#208

Post by saiya-jin »

rapind wrote: post #138
gorbachev wrote: post #114

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's definitely why I stopped using TomTom. Like gambiting, I really liked their product. They were compact, fast and the UX was great. But Google Maps is free.

> But Google Maps is free. We need a new alternative word for "free" when it comes to advertising companies. Something short to say "the cost is too abstract and indirect to understand fully or describe, but does impact society at large". Maybe "free-ish"?

There is no free lunch. Its more like you expect some idealized absolutism in market economy from people who need to eat and pay their mortgages. Its uncommon to meet an adult with such expectations, its mostly reserved for children up to certain age.

Re: TomTom’s new mapping platform and ecosystem

#209

Post by blargpls »

smusamashah wrote: post #100
Semaphor wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And if you are on android, there’s a super simple and easy, lightly gamified, app to help improve their data: https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/StreetComplete

There is also Every Door which i find less annoying. Street complete puts lots of noise on the map. I don't know the answer to my selected questions all the time. Every door lets you fill in whatever you can. https://every-door.app/

If you have a problem with specific quest types, you can disable them in the settings.

If you feel like the question / answer should be improved, check the StreetComplete issue tracker for existing issues / discussions and if there isn't any matching, create a new one.

Re: TomTom’s new mapping platform and ecosystem

#210

Post by ChrisMarshallNY »

arrrg wrote: post #178
ChrisMarshallNY wrote: post #132

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> It‘s about making things as convenient as possible for journalists I'm not so sure about that being the principal motive. I think it's actually a way to exert control. I remember discussions with our marketing folks. Pretty eye-opening. "Communication," in corporations, is really about controlling and shaping the message, and building the brand. You see these coordinated campaigns, all the time. Usually, they are e…

I mean, sure, controlling the message is how you can call it, but that doesn’t mean the legal threats (or threats of any kind) are doing the actual controlling. When I say “it‘s about making things as convenient as possible for journalists” what I mean by that (and what I thought I had made pretty clear) is not that convenience for the journalist is the ultimate goal. The ultimate goal is to get the messages about yo…

But I wonder if, let's say, a media organization were to publish a "hit piece," based on the text, if you could send a DMCA notice to their hosting provider.
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