Google has reinstated its Map Maker tool in 50 countries around the world, with new protections against vandalism.
The company has enforced tighter moderation of map edits with top Map Makers afforded permission to give changes the all clear before pushing them to Google Maps.
The company had brought back the service in 6 countries last week and now an additional 45 have been added to the list, including the United States and UK.
Map Maker’s Pavithra Kanakarajan said (via Android Police): “We have selected mappers in each country as “Regional Leads” to moderate edits done by other mappers in their respective regions.
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In one of the more unusual tech stories of 2015, the web and search and giant suspended the ability to edit Google Maps following a spate of mischievous edits.
The most notable of the improper and embarrassing posts to escape the filters featured the Android robot peeing on the Apple logo somewhere over Pakistan.
See also: The new Bing Maps could leave Google in the dust
Not all features are back in full, though. In order to make it even more difficult for users to abuse the platform, for Google has also temporarily disabled the ability to add or edit geometries of polygons.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.