Google denies changing how the Sahara appears on Maps after UN resolution

Google has denied reports claiming it recently changed how the Sahara is shown on Morocco’s map in Google Maps. Reports suggested that the company removed the dotted line separating Morocco from its southern provinces following the adoption of the recent UN Security Council resolution endorsing Morocco’s autonomy plan for the Sahara.

«We have not made changes to Morocco or Western Sahara on Google Maps», the company told Agence France-Presse (AFP) on Wednesday. It explained that its maps have always displayed borders differently depending on users’ location.

«People using Maps outside of Morocco see Western Sahara and a dotted line to represent its disputed border; people using Maps in Morocco do not see Western Sahara», the company clarified. «These labels follow our longstanding policies for disputed regions», it further noted.

It is worth noting that Resolution 2797, adopted on October 31, cited Morocco’s autonomy plan for Western Sahara as a basis for renewed negotiations between the parties to the conflict.