https://OpenStreetMap.org has been disrupted today.

[don_clemente@chaos.social]

@osm_tech yes, but that's heavy on your resources and bandwidth. A zip file of 10GB Zeros is much more resource-efficient on your side ;-)

[gerardthornley@hachyderm.io]

@pesasa @ISibboI @osm_tech It's a pattern I've seen others relate to the building of AI datasets.

[gerardthornley@hachyderm.io]

@pesasa @ISibboI @osm_tech
If its helpful (if you want to stuff something unpleasant down their throats), I believe @jwz has been making a 'json bomb' for (AIUI) pretty much this purpose:
https://mastodon.social/@jwz/116049057703097965

[ivansanchez@mastodon.social]

@osm_tech @Don_Clemente Replacing the actual data with Null Island data that points to planet.osm.org is not a dumb idea IMHO

[martinrust@infosec.exchange]

@osm_tech Block all read access except from registered users? And be restrictive on whom to grant an account (captcha, verified email address)?

[woody@pleroma.pch.net]

@osm_tech

Please, please, AI bubble, burst already, so we can stop seeing this kind of vandalism.

[drwho@masto.hackers.town]

@osm_tech @nag4wika Yuh?

~~~==:}}

[drwho@masto.hackers.town]

@osm_tech @Don_Clemente Can confirm. >:D

[air_quotes_comedian@kolektiva.social]

@osm_tech I went to use OpenStreetMap today to get directions but it asked me to sign up/ log in, so I used Mapquest instead which doesn't.

[jonas@social.linux.pizza]

@osm_tech @ISibboI Scraping the OpenStreetMap website gives of the same vibe as stealing free stuff.

[osm_tech@en.osm.town]

@Air_Quotes_Comedian Weird. We don't require login for directions.

[air_quotes_comedian@kolektiva.social]

@osm_tech Hmmm.

Perhaps I'm the only one who is required to log in for directions.

[forestjohnson@social.pixie.town]

@osm_tech thank you for your service 🪖

[notme@ohai.social]

@osm_tech @ISibboI isn't there a chance that service disruption is one of the objectives?

[osm_tech@en.osm.town]

@Notme @ISibboI We are not unique in battling these scrapers; Wikipedia, KDE, Gnome, OpenWRT, Arch Linux and many other projects have the some issue.

[assimilateborg@kind.social]

@osm_tech I blocked user agents matching "Chrome.139.0.0.0 Safari.537.36" as this combination seems to not exist, except for millions of requests out of china.

[ideogram@social.coop]

@osm_tech
Bloody idiots. I wonder if it's AI platforms?
@geospacedman @ISibboI

[parapiglia@sociale.network]

@osm_tech you should poison their data in some way

[mapamore@en.osm.town]

@Air_Quotes_Comedian

That looks unusual. How about sharing the original OSM URL where you requested for directions?

The only time the site will ask you to login is when you're trying to edit the map, all other operations can be used without an OSM account.

[air_quotes_comedian@kolektiva.social]

@MapAmore Initial URL:
https://www.openstreetmap.org/#map=12/37.8149/-88.5361

Second URL: https://www.openstreetmap.org/directions#map=12/37.8149/-88.5361

Tried something different this time and didn't click on the START MAPPING button (seemingly the obvious one to press).

It worked and I didn't have to offer up a buccal swab trapped between two microscope slides.

Thanks for that. 🙂

Now I never have to use crappy old Mapquest again. It might not need a sign-in but it's awful.