A Wired investigation found that Google Maps can be near impossible to use in the West Bank, especially since the start of the war. Users told the publication that the navigation app would direct them into walls, fail to account for time-consuming checkpoints, or steer them onto restricted roads leading to Israeli settlements, which can be dangerous for Palestinian users to drive on.
Part of the issue is inevitable in war: In conflict, there’s an increase of road checkpoints that can be difficult for any navigation service to keep up with. Additionally, a Google spokesperson told Wired that the company does not distinguish between Israeli and Palestinian roads since that would require knowing the citizenship status of residents. The spokesperson also said that the company is constantly working to improve its West Bank services.
However, dozens of employees have reportedly told Google leaders to further improve the map services for Palestinians, and, a current Google employee told Wired, many people in the West Bank have stopped using Google Maps entirely.
