Google has announced that its registered users in the US and Australia can now move the Google Maps’ place markers for their homes and businesses to the correct locations.

The announcement, however, came along with some restrictions. Place markers for hospitals, government buildings, or businesses whose listing have been claimed through Google’s Local Business Center, cannot be edited without owner’s approval.

In addition, movement of place makers more than 200 yards (or 200 meters in some countries) requires a moderator’s approval before the update show up on the map.

There will also be a facility to view the original location offered by Google which can be useful in cases where the marker is deliberately moved to a wrong address.

The move is seen as the only viable way to keep Google Maps’ database fresh and accurate. It will also give users and business owners more control over their listing.

While online accurate map is a valuable information resource, it seems that privacy is a big concern. For security and other reasons, not all want to publish their address on Google Maps. These people should also be protected from others who deliberately post other people’s information without approval. Hopefully Google will address these concerns soon.

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Entry was posted on Tuesday, November 20th, 2007 at 3:34 am under Google.

Read more entries by Ruben Francia.
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