Simple *feature request* in order to stop photo-spamming and helps in avoiding mistakes of SV users

[Przemo]

Hello @Corrie 

Photos and photospheres added to the Google Maps should have the checksum to prevent adding them the second time like as it happens in YouTube.

If I try to add 2nd time the same movie to YouTube service, the error message "Upload failed: Duplicate upload" appears.

It should work the same in Google Maps and in StreetView application.

There is many double and triple photos on the Maps added as SPAM or sometimes as mistake of Local Guides or SV photographers. 

Some examples of photo-spamming profiles (see left panel in pictures, there is always the same one photo pinned to many POI):

• <MAPS URL REMOVED FOR PRIVACY> (images and photos with ads)
  <SCREENSHOTS REMOVED FOR PRIVACY>
  
• <MAPS URL REMOVED FOR PRIVACY> (nonsense pictures, probably added to obtain GDrive storage)
  <SCREENSHOTS REMOVED FOR PRIVACY>
  
• <MAPS URL REMOVED FOR PRIVACY> (one and the same picture added to all 15 thousands Sephora stores in the World, probably to obtain GDrive storage – it will impossible when checksum will block to add 2nd time the same photo)

<SCREENSHOTS REMOVED FOR PRIVACY>

The 2nd possibility to add duplicate photo is using StreetView application
If sbdy imports photospheres made in Google Camera app from mobile phone memory to the SV app there is no info which Photosphere was imported earlier nor which one was published earlier.
There should be message like in YouTube "Upload failed: Duplicate upload".

I see that antispam team has insufficient resources to remove photo-spam from the Google Maps – this feature may be solution against the spam in future.
You should run bot to delete duplicated photos too.

Best regards

          :-Przemo.

[Martyn]

Excellent presentation of the problem. I agree with you 100%

[LovelyPL]

As the extension of Przemo's idea, Google could add some "limits" for adding photos to maps.

Normal user doesn't add thousand photos in hour. Setting some threshold should help to fighting against spam (especially photo spam)

[Corrie]

@Przemo Thanks for the great feedback 🙂 I will pass this along (and a link to this post) to the Street View team. Thanks again!

[Przemo]

Thank you @Corrie

I belive you pass it to your (Maps) team too   🙂
(I know they have now bigger problem than spam with merging MapMaker and Maps)   :-]

Best regards

    :-Przemo.

[VinkoV]

@Przemo It is very good and clear explanation of the problem and solution, but it seems nobody cares 

[VinkoV]

@LovelyPL When new user start to upload few thousands photos to Maps he should get a message "Slow down dude"

[FazeelUsmani]

@Przemo

Thanks for showing this type of spams and I'll look at this in my city.

Well you've good presentation skills.

[VinkoV]

@Przemo @FazeelUsmani @LovelyPL @Martyn I strongly do agree with your thinking that Google should stop any double upload of the same photo, even if it is renamed, changed exif or cropped or varied on any way. If you are careful, probably you will not upload any photo twice. But most of photographers are not, so probably they will upload by mistake the same photo, maybe months later. Or they will upload again because of the problem with connection. Or they will upload the same photo two or three times to different POI, because they never read rules, and it is possible. Actually i heard that someone uploaded the same photo in several POI in many different countries, even several continents. I heard that someone uploaded the same photo 8 thousands times.

But it is not so important, as it is important one thing - For Google is the most important number of uploaded photos. It is not important quality, colors, expression, artistic value. I think one good photo worth more than 1 million of bad photos. And in this moment algorithm for displaying photos on Maps do not favor popular and interesting photos with the most views, but the newest ones. That is the real problem. 

[FazeelUsmani]

@VinkoV Yes, you're right, but how Google should take care of the photos which have edited and re-uploaded on different places.

[As there are many photo editing softwares, it is difficult to find co-relation between the original and edited ones]

         It is the responsibility of a local guide to provide consistent data to Google. The user should read the terms and conditions, before signing up as a local guide. The true local guide will never do mistakes like this.

         We, the other local guides should watch after these local guides who are doing these illegal tasks in our area and report to Google about their suspicious activities.