ABSTRACT
The geoweb refers to a set of geospatial social networking tools and services that are used to curate and interact with web-based locational content and new forms of spatial data generated through participatory mapping or crowdsourcing of information. The geoweb can transform how we make, use, and share mapped information. The geoweb has been used for social justice activism in diverse ways. It has been used as a new tool in digital humanitarianism, for instance in crisis mapping of environmental catastrophes or political uprisings. Exploring the strategic acquisitions made by Google in the mapping market highlights how they have become the dominant player in geoweb-mapping platforms. The use of the geoweb for social justice activism raises many pertinent challenges, especially related to the ownership of the platforms; the security and privacy of the information, and the potential for surveillance, access, and data literacy; and the verifiability of crowdsourcing.
