In de uitzending van EenVandaag op maandag 25 augustus 2025 sprak onderzoeksdirecteur Sander van der Waal over de monopoliepositie van Google Maps. De aanleiding hiervoor was het feit dat de locatie van Giethoorn onlangs is veranderd in de navigatieapp, tot ontsteltenis van een aantal ondernemers die hierdoor klandizie verloren.
In the EenVandaag news broadcast on Monday, August 25, 2025, research director Sander van der Waal was interviewed about Google Maps' monopoly position. The segment was prompted by a recent change in the navigation app which had altered the location of Giethoorn. As a result, local boat rental companies experienced a decline in customers.
Because Google controls how routes are mapped and where location pins are placed, the company has significant influence over local businesses, residential traffic, and traffic patterns in general. "In practice, we’re at the mercy of whatever Google decides is the best route. And since we have no say in the matter, that’s a real problem," Van der Waal said during the broadcast.
Google claims it gathers information from various sources, including municipalities, third parties, and Google Maps users. However, it remains unclear how these sources are evaluated and how the final decisions on routes and destinations are made. “Google Maps is essentially a black box — no one can see how it works on the inside. We'd like to open that up. Ideally, we want to have a say in where location pins are placed,” Van der Waal added.
You can watch the item in the EenVandaag broadcast on the webpage of EenVandaag on NPO Start.
