Google: The Crimea Name Thing Part 2
August 3, 2016
I kid you not. Google is changing place names on its Crimean map. I assume the write up “Here’s Why Google Maps Changed Some Town Names in Crimea—And Is Now Changing Them Back” is the digital equivalent of the tablets Moses toted down from the mountain. The mountain, as I recall, was not in the Crimea, but anything is possible.
The write up informed me:
Google told RBC news website that they were aware of the changes made in accordance with Ukraine’s “decommunization” law and of Russia’s displeasure. Google told RBC they were “actively working to restore the previous version of the names on the Russian version of Google Maps.”
For an outfit with smart software doing many things, I assume that the scripts are busy working their magic. But what if the changes are made by humans? I thought that Google was into the algorithmic approach to objectivity.
What is Google called? Ah, Alphabet. I wonder if smart software or smart people decided this name change. A rose by any other name would smell as sweet. Thank goodness for Snapchat images of flowers. No words required. Perhaps Google will change the name of Harrod’s Creek to Herod’s Sewer? It is indeed possible.
Stephen E Arnold, August 3, 2016
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