Ethics policy

Conflicts of interest

Our largest and most structural conflict is disclosed up front: Map Observer is founded and funded by GBPly, a Google Business Profile management platform. We manage that conflict by keeping editorial control in the newsroom, disclosing the relationship on every page, and flagging it inline in any story that mentions GBPly or a direct competitor. The arrangement is set out in full on our ownership and funding page.

Editors and contributors disclose any material relationship they have with companies, agencies, or individuals covered in their stories. A relationship that could reasonably be perceived as a conflict (consulting work, paid speaking, equity ownership, family ties) means that contributor does not write the story.

Source confidentiality

We honour off-the-record and background conversations. When a source asks for anonymity to discuss sensitive topics — Google policy enforcement, suspension waves, internal product changes — we evaluate the request on the merits and explain in the article why anonymity was granted when we publish.

Plagiarism and attribution

Original reporting and analysis from other publications is cited and linked. We do not republish other outlets’ work without attribution. Quotes are used in their original context.

User privacy

We do not sell reader data. Newsletter subscribers receive only the editions they opted into and can unsubscribe at any time. We use privacy-respecting analytics to understand which stories matter to our audience.

AI ethics

Where AI is used in our editorial process, we are transparent about it (see our editorial standards). We do not fabricate quotes, sources, or screenshots. We do not generate images of real people or businesses in ways that could be mistaken for genuine photography.