Crisis shelter workers want Google Maps to hide the locations of their shelters

Selena Larson reports at The Daily Dot:

Crisis shelters provide a safe haven for victims and their families; they are a refuge away from abusers. By publicly listing shelter locations online, Google is endangering victims of domestic abuse, says Jeremy Janice, a facilities coordinator at a Louisiana crisis center.

It’s yet another example of my white American cis-male privilege that it never even occurred to me that this is problematic. I hope Google comes up with a solution that helps keep people safe. I’m not sure how effective Change.org petitions really are, but you can sign the one relevant to this issue here.

The image is a blurred Google Maps image depicting domestic violence shelters in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York.