[OSM-talk] Russians at it again

[Patrick Petschge Kilian]

Hi,

> My personal opinion:
> Let them.
I respect your opinion but I don't think that it is a good idea. But see 
below for details.


> It is a good thing they are figuring out how to enjoy OpenStreetMap 
without putting themselves at risk *and* in the mean time try to prevent
 a total blockade of OpenStreetMap in Russia.
It is definitly good that they try to figure out how to map and use OSM 
in Russia without putting themselves at risk.

BUT that shouldn't mean that they get to descide unilaterally in a 
language most people in OSM don't understand what can be mapped in Russia.

If they think it is too risky to map a military area fine. But they have 
no f*cking right to decide if I want to risk to map that area. If that 
area exists and the "truth on the ground" shows that it is a military 
area then it must be ok to add it to OSM.

Why? Otherwise we'll loose all our data in China, North Korea and 
probably several other countries within month. Do you really want 
Americans to delete the map of Gunantanamo Bay? Do you want Chinese to 
delete the border around Taiwan? Really really?


> People who cannot imagine how it is to have a government that has 
"issues" in interpreting freedom of speech
> <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_of_speech>, freedom of conscience 
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_of_conscience>, freedom from fear 
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_from_fear> and freedom from want 
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_from_want> should not interfere in
 this particular topic. It makes me sad that having the luxury of all 
freedoms, seems to make some people incapable of understanding that this
 is NOT (yet) a common privilige in other parts of the world..
I totally understand that mapping in Russia (or any other "substandard" 
country) can be a huge risk. I totally understand if they don't want to 
risk their live, freedom or happiness for five nodes in OSM. But that 
doesn't give them the right to make rules about what can be mapped and 
what not.


Patrick "Petschge" Kilian