Tech giant clarifies it did not alter map display following UN endorsement of Morocco’s autonomy plan…
Google has clarified that the borders of Western Sahara have never appeared as disputed territory for users accessing Google Maps from within Morocco, countering recent media reports suggesting that the company had quietly changed the display after a United Nations Security Council resolution.
In a statement to AFP on Tuesday, the tech company said the differences in border visualization depend on users’ geographical location, in line with its long-standing policy on disputed regions.
“We have not made changes to Morocco or Western Sahara on Google Maps,” a Google spokesperson told AFP.
“These labels follow our longstanding policies for disputed regions. 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.”
Decades-Long Dispute Over Western Sahara
Western Sahara, a vast, phosphate- and mineral-rich territory in North Africa, has been claimed for decades by both Morocco and the Polisario Front, a pro-independence movement backed by Algeria.
While Morocco controls most of the territory and considers it an integral part of the kingdom, the Polisario Front seeks full independence and has declared the area the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR).
The United Nations continues to list Western Sahara as a non-self-governing territory, calling for negotiations between Morocco, the Polisario Front, Algeria, and Mauritania to achieve a mutually acceptable solution.
UN Resolution Rekindles Debate
Controversy resurfaced last week after the UN Security Council endorsed Morocco’s 2007 autonomy plan, which proposes granting Western Sahara limited self-governance under Moroccan sovereignty, a move initially supported by the Trump administration in 2020.
Following that decision, several media outlets suggested that Google had updated its map labels to align with the UN’s stance, sparking online debate. However, the company insists that no changes were made, and the map discrepancies reflect its standard country-based mapping policy.
Google’s Mapping Policy on Disputed Borders
Under Google’s policy, territorial boundaries may appear differently depending on a user’s location or local laws. For example, map depictions in India, China, or Israel often differ from those shown in other countries due to regional sensitivities and government regulations.
The company maintains that its map products are not political instruments, but visual tools that reflect local perspectives and official data sources.
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