A Google spokesperson explains:
Promoted pins in navigation are not new – they let people see relevant ads for businesses like gas stations, restaurants, and stores along their route. To avoid driver distraction, these ads do not pop up, expand only if they’re tapped on, and disappear quickly after a short time.
Unlikely. Google restricted their API access a few years ago.
It’s funny to me how everyone wants the product of the location reporting, but nobody wants to contribute to that data by reporting their location.