Google Maps just made your morning commute a negotiation. The navigation app that became indispensable precisely because it worked without friction is now demanding something in return: your data.

Users who aren't signed into a Google account are being shunted to what the company euphemistically calls a "limited view." The changes, which rolled out quietly, restrict features that used to be available to anyone with a browser and an internet connection.

This is the enshittification playbook in real time. First, make a product so good that everyone uses it. Then, once you've captured the market, start extracting value. The product gets worse, but where else are you going to go? Apple Maps?

The move fits a broader pattern across tech giants. Services that once operated on the open web are increasingly walled gardens. You want transit directions? Sign in. Saved places? Sign in. Basically anything beyond "here's a blue dot showing where you are" now requires handing over your Google account credentials.

From a business perspective, it's understandable. Google wants that sweet, sweet user data to serve ads and train AI models. Signed-in users are worth more than anonymous ones. But from a user perspective, it's one more step toward a web where nothing works unless you're logged in, tracked, and monetized.

The technology is still impressive. The value proposition just got a lot more expensive.