You're saying the "pointless legislation" had a point. Just not one that you agree with. This is a guess, but I suspect the point had to do with data privacy

You're saying the "pointless legislation" had a point. Just not one that you agree with. This is a guess, but I suspect the point had to do with data privacy. Maybe someone wrote legislation that prohibits public websites from hosting ads, or third party browser-tracking software. And google maps fits that. In the parent comment, there's also this bit: > but it is a lot cheaper than google maps If true, this is an example of government regulations working as intended, and saving money.