Hidden Vs Restricted - Privacy of Profiles in Google Maps

After reading several Questions, and several Answers, about our privacy on Google Maps, I wanted to go a bit in Deep, trying to clarify the confusion about a so sensitive subject.

I am using the word “confusion” because actually the help pages in Google Maps about this subject are not completely updated. For this reason I am tagging @KlaudiyaG here, to escalate the issue to the team.

It is only a matter of graphic? No, absolutely no. There is a very specific moment, in the evolution of Google Maps, during which the Profile went from “Hidden” to “Restricted”. On that moment, a new function was added in Google Maps: Followers. The pilot was announced at Connect Live '19, on November 2019 (Discover new places with help from top Local Guides ) and extended to more Countries / Areas on January of this year (Discover even more places on Google Maps ).

This amazing function, the possibility to “follow”, and for many “to be followed” on Google Maps, changed completely the concept of privacy. Obviously, it does’n make any sense to follow a Local Guide who is hiding the profile but, what happen if you have already some follower, and you decide to change the privacy of your profile?

To clarify this point, I will divide the explanation in two part

Pre-Followers - The situation was very simple, clearly represented by the graphic that we still have on the Desktop (HTML) version of Google Maps, on the left on my image: “This user hasn’t uploaded any photos / written any reviews yet or has chosen not to display them” Clear and linear. “Has chosen not to display them”. On the help page on Google Maps (Manage your Maps profile ) the procedure is explained very clearly. This setting is possible only on Mobile, and the procedure is exactly the same on Android, iPhone or iPad

  • On your -------- phone or tablet, open the Google Maps app
  • Tap Contribute > View your profile > Profile settings
  • Under “Profile settings,” turn on Show contributions on your profile.

The last step described above is no longer available, and Post-Followers, has been replaced by what you can see on the next screenshot

Post-Followers, if you want to protect your privacy (using what was called an hidden profile) you will have to put to ON the “Restricted Profile” switch.

When your profile is “Restricted”, “You will have to Approve new followers before they can see your reviews, photos, and public lists on your profile

Once you accept the new follower, the follower will be able to see all your contributions in reviews, photos, and public lists.

This make sense, but you should be aware that, even if your setting is for a “Restricted Profile”, your followers will be able to see your contributions.

All the “Post-Followers” part in not actually on the help page. The missing content, in addition to two different graphics, can create a lot of confusion on the users.

I hope this will clear up many people’s doubts, and I hope, of course, that the help page will be fixed soon

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Hey!!! @ErmesT

Is that we need to off this privacy.

Because as a local guide our contributions are our identity.

I don’t understand why private and restricted settings things are available on google Maps. And same in private setting available in connect.

I think need to remove that.

I did this mistake in connect. After that I publicly open my google map profile.

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Hello @ErmesT
My understanding is like this.
When someone restricts the profile for public view, the app indicates that clearly with a lock.
However, on a desktop, the program displays an ambiguous statement & doesn’t say that the profile is locked.
Ambiguity because if someone has not uploaded any photo or added any review, then also the program will display the same message.
That is based on my observation of some locked profiles on the phone as well as on a desktop.

Another confusion is that the help pages say you can still view your public profile even after you select to restrict that. However, that doesn’t happen. When I lock my profile, I can’t see my public profile. (BTW I haven’t restricted my profile but chosen not to display the link on Connect).

Glad you clarified regarding the availability of an option of accepting someone as a follower.
However, in my opinion, we should be able to select followers even when we do not restrict the profile. There is no point in permitting any spammer as a follower.
(But, I am sure any suggestion on that will see the same fate as most of the others).

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Privacy is extremely important, @KishorMali , for a lot of different reasons, and I am not here to ask Google to violate the laws removing the right of everyone’s privacy.

In this post I want only to clarify steps that are not clearly explained on the help page

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@ErmesT

Yes, agree.

Privacy important as well as security.

Still I didn’t focused on this thing.

But, I find that

When I checked some local guides google maps profile, it’s shows that “Restricted”.

I had believe that restricted profile means that local guides are removed from the program.

But, I was wrong, it’s confusion that later I understand.

Your post is raised another good discussion about functionality of google Maps. Thanks for raising up.

@ErmesT

Maybe we need following settings in google maps,

Like Instagram.

Let’s I follow you on google Maps!!

Opps!!! There is no follow option appear.

I am able to follow your lists.

Is that following lists of the local guide, means follow the local guide?

Confused.

I had clicked on other local guide, that hiding that profile.

But, I don’t found any “follow” Option shows.

Here, is the image,

In your image, follow option is appeared.

Maybe it’s happened due to I using Android and you are using desktop.

Is that someone follow me on maps, I received the notifications?

I think not.

Hi @C_T

I agree with you about the help page giving wrong information. This is in fact the one of the scope of this post.

You can see your profile, not your “public profile” when you lock the visibility, so that information needs to be updated too.

I understand that, as you can see and manage followers only in the App, in there the information are correct, but having a lock display also on the web (desktop) version would help to understand, and to respond, when a Local Guide have an issue

Follow has only been rolled out to selected Local Guides in selected places around the world @KishorMali and is an experiment.

I know of about 100 Local Guides that can be followed.

Paul

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Thanks for clarifying. @PaulPavlinovich

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@ErmesT I cannot believe I had not yet considered this. Thank you for pointing it out. I am glad to have it in my mind.

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Hi there.

Thank you for your information but I am still struggling with something. When a family member tried to follow me we found that I am not visible for some reason.

We checked through setting in Google maps (as you described) but the funny thing is that the option ‘restrict profile’ is not there. Can it be that another setting is blocking this function?

To illustrate I added a screenshot. You can see that the option is not visible.

Secondly: There seems not to be a ‘follow’ button on my profile. See screenshot below.

Bottom-line: What am I doing wrong that I cannot be followed?

To complement: I am using an iPhone

Thank you in advance.

Best regards,

Jeroen

This does not make sense. My profile is set to show all contributions, but appears as locked/restricted when viewed by others. None of my reviews have posted because of this. Why can’t I make my profile public?