[OSM-talk] Maintaining privacy as a casual mapper

[Maarten Deen]

On 2019-11-04 12:17, Simon Poole wrote:
> Am 04.11.2019 um 10:03 schrieb Maarten Deen:
>> On 2019-11-04 09:28, Simon Poole wrote:
>>> Am 03.11.2019 um 23:08 schrieb Martin Koppenhoefer:
>>>> ...
>>>> it depends from whom you hide, but generally you should not use a
>>>> traceable email account if you want to remain anonymous. Using
>>>> Google would seem like a total no-go (they are even reserving the
>>>> right to read your emails). Use a live distro like tails (tor
>>>> browser, spoofs browser a system details, etc. ), do not connect
>>>> from your home or someone else’s home or any other places that you
>>>> are related to, do not use a third party login but create a new
>>>> account for every edit you make and use throw away email addresses
>>>> for signup. Use generic user names and email addresses created by a
>>>> random string generator, only use the most common tools like iD and
>>>> maybe josm, do not use rarely used tags, avoid changeset comments
>>>> and other free text fields like description and note.
>>> 
>>> Note, lots of the above would be violations of our ToU, and outside 
>>> of
>>> that, neither desirable nor a good idea.
>> 
>> Lots? Care to elaborate on that? Where are the ToU, is it
>> <https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Terms_of_Use_-_Discussion_Draft>
>> (to which I can have some comments too)?
>> 
>> ..........
> 
> https://wiki.osmfoundation.org/wiki/Terms_of_Use  and linked to from 
> the
> sign up page, and from the map page. There where multiple opportunity
> last year to comment on the draft (which has nothing to do with the old
> wiki page you linked too), which you seemed to have not used, even
> though it was widely announced.

I have not used no. I generally don't concern myself with such things 
because my views are generally not the views of people making these 
policies (and are therefore usually ignored).

I was searching for it on the wiki and that was the only one I found. I 
thought it was a bit stale since it wasn't touched since 2009 and no 
discussion followed there.
In any case, I see that the "You must be 13 years or older to use the 
Services." is still there.
Really? Someone under 13 can not look at the OSM map? I'm sorry, but 
that is completely laughable. And not enforcable at all. Maybe you 
should put a PG-13 sign on the map ;)
Also: 16 and 17 year old are also still a minor, even in the UK, and 
they are not blocked from anything in the ToU?

>> In any case, if the link I posted are the ToU, I don't see any of
>> those points being a violation of the ToU. In the case of the account,
>> where the ToU says "You represent and warrant that the information you
>> provide to OSMF upon registration and, at all other times, will be
>> true, accurate, current, and complete" it is an empty point since
>> there is no verifiable information I _have_ to enter into my account.
>> Just a screen name (not my legal name) and an email address.
> 
> https://wiki.osmfoundation.org/wiki/Terms_of_Use#II._Privacy requires
> you to keep your contact information (which is currently your e-mail
> address) current. This is not really new as it was implied by doing 
> away
> with anonymous edits in 2007.

That is in no way a strange request. Yes, it more or less precludes 
throwaway email adresses (you are at least required to respond I guess) 
but it does not preclude using an anonymous email adress.

>> Further items like my location and a profile description are optional.
>> 
> To be clear certain risk reduction measures are completely OK and we
> outline these in the privacy policy, what is not OK is anything that
> amounts to de facto making the edits anonymous to the OSMF.

It was more your assertion that "lots" of the items given would be 
violations of the ToU where I come to 3 out of 11 that might be.
I still don't see where the lots comes from, you didn't care to 
elaborate on that.

Regards,
Maarten