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<div>Bryce Nesbitt writes:</div>
<blockquote type="cite" cite>But demographic information (the bulk
of <u>padeshahekhoban's</u> survey) is not recorded by OSM.
We have no idea who most mappers are. For example: people
doing gender analysis<font face="Arial" color="#222222"> of OSM
users use name analysis (e.g. "Jane" is female).
Education level is relevant, but not recoverable. Home country
(for expats) is not recoverable either, but of interest in marking the
participation level of local residents. Human languages spoken
would also be of interest.</font></blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Arial"
color="#222222"><br></font></blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Arial" color="#222222">If
osmf collects just a bit more demographic data, the vast bulk of
public data becomes more useful to research.</font></blockquote>
<div><br></div>
<div>I might be the nicest person you have ever met, I hope I am a
good OSM mapper, and I am kind to children and animals. However,
I vehemently oppose OSM collecting any additional
personally-identifiable data. My birth year, employment status,
gender and other such data are nobody's business but mine. And
you might call me a privacy nut if you know me, but I have given more
(and more personally-identifiable information) about myself to OSM
than I have to any other volunteer project in my life. I have
done so knowing what OSM's existing "privacy policies" are:
nothing specific except those specified and implied by the License
Terms, and I like it that way. So, I continue to contribute.
Asking me for demographics directly threatens my willingness to
contribute in the future.</div>
<div><br></div>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Arial" color="#222222">There
are privacy issues, for those accounts who provide demographics
"only to researchers".</font></blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Arial" color="#222222">If
demographics are included with editing stats, it becomes probable
someone could work the data in reverse to reveal the member
ID.</font></blockquote>
<div><br></div>
<div>You are darn right there are privacy issues. As OSM has
absolutely no Privacy Policy (that I am aware of) that isn't already
included in the License Terms I (and thousands of others) have agreed
to, the privacy issues are "what is out there is out there and
what is not out there is not available." Any attempt to
change this<i> ex post facto</i> is going to inflame the same sort of
ugly backlash that changing the License Terms from CC-BY-SA to ODBL
did: a nasty feeling of betrayal by OSM contributors (which
still has not completely gone away, even for many who have agreed to
the new terms). Who wants to go first with THAT?!</div>
<div><br></div>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Arial" color="#222222">Beyond
that I think it reasonable to ask more of mappers. Wikipedia has
a good argument for anonymous editing.
OpenStreetMap? I think not so much.</font></blockquote>
<div><br></div>
<div>No, it is not reasonable to ask more of mappers.
OpenStreetMap absolutely has the same good arguments for the sort of
semi-anonymous mapping it enjoys right now. Do you want to chill
new mappers as well as dyed-in-the-wool contributors to what is a
great project? OK, then start talking about "asking more"
of us in the direction of privacy-invading demographic
information.</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>This "knowing everything about everybody" has gone too
far. You don't know about padeshahekhoban? Neither do I.
And I really don't care to: I'm busy mapping.</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>SteveA</div>
<div>California</div>
<div>OSM contributor of over 8000 edits since 2009 (so leave me alone
so I may continue mapping)</div>
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