Google, Romanian Orthodox Church react to People's Cathedral fine

Google is waiting to receive the official decision of the National Council for Combatting Discrimination (CNCD) concerning the fine related to the People's Cathedral name change on Google Maps. It will evaluate the next steps, the company said. The error highlighted in this case was "promptly eliminated," Google said.

CNCD sanctioned Google Romania with a RON 10,000 (EUR 2,050) fine for not reacting when the name of the biggest Orthodox cathedral in the country was changed on Google Maps.

At the beginning of May, the name of the People's Salvation Cathedral (Catedrala Mantuirii Neamului in Romanian) was changed on Google Maps to People's Fooling Cathedral (Catedrala Prostirii Neamului). The name remained altered for a few days, determining a harsh reaction from the Romanian Orthodox Church (BOR), which called this an "attack."

"Whenever a problem on Google Maps is reported, we act to correct it as soon as possible. The error in question was promptly eliminated. We are waiting to receive the official decision of CNDC, and afterwards, we will evaluate the next steps. Google encourages user-generated content, so Google Maps reflect the real world. As more and more people contribute to Google Maps, we continue to focus on preventing those who infringe on our policies, using a combination of technology and human evaluation to eliminate the unwanted content," Google said.

Meanwhile, the Romanian Orthodox Church (BOR) welcomed the CNDC decision.

"It is a moral gesture of civic normality to note the vulnerabilities of important informational systems, regardless of their owners, and sanction the passiveness towards such notifications. Such IT vulnerabilities, especially at such a high level, can endanger the image of any other institution, making them completely unacceptable and their correction a duty," Vasile Bănescu, the spokesperson of BOR, said, quoted by News.ro.

(Photo: Vlad Ispas | Dreamstime.com)