What is the Best Map for Privacy and Security?
Here you are going to find a private alternative to Google Maps. For you we have evaluated map services on privacy, security and transparency, guided by the three criteria for data-privacy.
Updated, 12/05/2020
Three Central Privacy Criteria
An online service is secure, if the transfer of data and its storage on a server or user device is encrypted. Here different methods are used which differ in its strength. The most secure method is end-to-end encryption. It guarantees that only sender and recipient have access to the digital keys for the data.
An online service is private, if the provider of the service collects no or only minimal data, which are not directly needed its service. This means that no personal data is collected, which could be sold to other companies or used by the provider itself.
An online service is transparent, if it can be guaranteed that it is secure and private. To prove this, the program’s source code can be made publicly available and accessible for everyone to inspect. This practice is called open source and is a central aspect of digital trustworthiness, as it makes the software’s operations transparent.
= Criteria meet
= Criteria partially meet
= Criteria not meet
| Maps Service | Secure | Private | Transparent |
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Google Maps1)Privacy Policy: Google |
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Here We Go2)Privacy Policy: Here |
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Apple Maps3)Privacy Policy: Apple |
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Maps.me4)Privacy Policy: my.com |
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OpenStreetMap5)Privacy Policy: OpenStreetMap |
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| Maps Service | Secure | Private | Transparent |
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Google Maps7)Privacy Policy: Google |
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Here We Go8)Privacy Policy: Here |
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Apple Maps9)Privacy Policy: Apple |
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Maps.me10)Privacy Policy: my.com |
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OpenStreetMap11)Privacy Policy: OpenStreetMap |
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An online service is secure, if the transfer of data and its storage on a server or user device is encrypted. Here different methods are used which differ in its strength. The most secure method is end-to-end encryption. It guarantees that only sender and recipient have access to the digital keys for the data.
An online service is private, if the provider of the service collects no or only minimal data, which are not directly needed its service. This means that no personal data is collected, which could be sold to other companies or used by the provider itself.
An online service is transparent, if it can be guaranteed that it is secure and private. To prove this, the program’s source code can be made publicly available and accessible for everyone to inspect. This practice is called open source and is a central aspect of digital trustworthiness, as it makes the software’s operations transparent.
= Criteria meet= Criteria partially meet= Criteria not meet
Why Is OpenStreetMap Our Favourite Private Map Service?
OpenStreetMap is an online map service like Google Maps. OpenStreetMap’s map data is created by volunteers and is available for use under the Open Database Licence.13)Why the world needs OpenStreetMap
OpenStreetMap collects no data about you what makes it a private alternative to Google Maps.
What Makes OpenStreetMap Better Than Google Maps?
OpenStreetMap collects no data about you
Our location data is full of private details. Based on this data you can see where you live, work and where you spend your spare time.
Map apps don’t just provide maps, they also access our location to help us navigate. This is how Google Maps knows even how you get from one place to another.14)How Incognito Google Maps Protects You—and How It Doesn’t This is metadata about your behaviour, which can reveal a lot about you as a person.
OpenStreetMap (or OsmAnd as an App) accesses your location to help you navigate, but it doesn’t send your location data off to its developers. So it can’t create a profile of your movement, either.15)Privacy Policy OpenStreetMap16)Privacy Policy OsmAnd
Google Maps collects personal data about you
Google makes its money by showing personalised ads to its users. For this to work, Google needs a lot of data about you. Location data is especially interesting for personalising ads on smartphones, as the ads you are shown can be of shops nearby – opposed to on the other side of the city.17)How to delete your Google search history and stop tracking
Furthermore Google creates a location history for you, which you can access in your Google account through the co-called Timeline feature, where every location is recorded where you traveled to with your smartphone.18)Google Tracks You Even If Location History’s Off. Here’s How to Stop It
OpenStreetMap does not know about your travels, whether it was yesterday or yesteryear. It doesn’t have financial interests to gather more data about you either, since OpenStreetMap is a nonprofit organisation financed through donations – and not ads. The app OsmAnd is financed through its premium feature.
This makes OpenStreetMap a private alternative to Google Maps.
What Makes OsmAnd Better Than Maps.me
Maps.me (a service by my.com/Mail.Ru) is an app which offers OpenStreetMap maps. The app is open source but it collects your location data and much more to show you personalised ads, just like Google Maps.19)Privacy Policy my.com
Open source doesn’t automatically mean that your data is well protected.
OsmAnd and OpenStreetMap are good alternatives to Maps.me and Google Maps.
Can OsmAnd Keep up With the Functionalities Google Maps Offers?
OpenStreetMap offers good quality maps for most of the world. Because the map data is created by volunteers, the quality depends on their engagement.
The app OsmAnd offers offline maps, offline navigation for driving, cycling and walking as well as for public transport (in Beta) and lots more. Real-time traffic updated are not offered by OsmAnd.
You can also save places and add favourites to faster find what is most important to you. For lots of shops, opening hours, websites and phone numbers are available.
| Functions | OsmAnd | Google Maps |
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Search function |
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GPS location |
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Opening hours and other info |
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Offline maps |
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Offline navigation |
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Navigation for public transport |
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Traffic information |
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| Functions | OsmAnd | Google Maps |
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Search function |
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GPS location |
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Opening hours and other info |
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Offline maps |
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Offline navigation |
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Navigation for public transport |
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Traffic information |
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This is our change log for the page Maps. Here are all the changes and updates recorded for this page.
This page’s content is not timeless. This is why its content hast to be updated regularly. To make this process transparent, we have set up this change log.
- May 2020: Page created