Google Maps lets users correct wrong street names and add roads that are missing from the map, which makes it easier to find the right destination. Many people rely on the service for directions in unfamiliar places or cities. Although the platform verifies user-submitted information before publishing it, false data sometimes still finds its way onto the map. A man named Ge Yulu in Beijing, China, had a street named after himself on Google Maps using false information.

In 2013, Ge Yulu noticed that a street in Beijing's Chaoyang area had no name signboard, as one had not been installed due to administrative complications. He then made a signboard himself and put it up. The board read "Ge Yu Lu" — in Chinese, "Lu" means road, and it is also part of Ge Yulu's own name, so the name did not seem unusual to locals. Because it looked like an official government signboard, many people accepted it as the street's real name.

Ge Yulu probably did not expect his homemade signboard to have such an impact. By 2015, the name "Ge Yu Lu" had been added to official government records. It then spread to various map and navigation services, and eventually the street name appeared on Google Maps as well. The deception was later uncovered: the signboard was removed and the street name was corrected on the various maps. But before that, Ge Yulu enjoyed the rare experience of having a street named after him in official documents and on online maps for several years.

Information from government agencies is very important when street names are changed or new roads are added to online maps. However, users also have the opportunity to correct information or add new details. On Google Maps, users can click the plus (+) icon to propose corrections to wrong street names, and roads that are missing from the map can also be added. User-submitted information is not published directly on the map; to prevent wrong or false data, Google verifies submissions using both human staff and machine learning technology.

China's popular map service Baidu Maps had also recorded the street name provided by Ge Yulu. Baidu uses both people and automated technology to verify street name information. However, because Ge Yulu's signboard looked like an official one, it is believed that the fake was not caught during verification. After the name was added to Baidu Maps, it spread to other map services; at one time, "Ge Yu Lu" could be seen on services such as Apple Maps, Google Maps and AutoNavi.

Source: BGR.com