The functional advantage is not supporting shady practices. We ditch Google Maps to avoid Google, so why go to another shady organization

Organic maps has become shady just during the time when the Russia has started using different ways of forcing Russians abroad into spying for the Russia. Organic Maps is not maintained by Russians, but it is being maintained by Belarusians, and the Russia has been pressing the same things in Belarus as well.

It is a bit scary that a program that knows your location by GPS is doing shady things, if it's maintained by people who are reasonably likely to deliver some data to Lukashenka and Putin. The timing of them turning shady is very suspicious. It might be there's nothing really bad about OrganicMaps, but I cannot know. I know people who the Russia might be interested in pressuring, so my location could also be of interest for them. Since there's nothing where Comaps is worse than Organic Maps, I preferred to make the switch. That way, I don't need to consider the possibility that my maps program might be leaking my data to the most sinister people on this planet.

If you get a threat that your family might end up in a very uncomfortable prison for the rest of their lives, in a country where torture is commonplace in prisons, you might very well agree to throw unknown foreign people under the bus. One's own children and parents can easily be more important for someone than I am. And people can do a LOT to protect their loved ones.

https://openletter.earth/open-letter-to-organic-maps-shareholders-a0bf770c