Google Maps, Apple Maps, and Smartphones Are at the Forefront of Modern War
25th February 2022
We’ve gone beyond “the revolution will be televised,” and are in a reality where the the latest European war is live-streamed not just through social media, but on online mapping services without Google or Apple intending it.
The sheer volume of mapping data now available at our fingertips means it was possible for civilians half a world away to see when Russian forces began moving. Specifically, that data pinpointed a traffic jam starting on the Russian side of the border, actively moving into Ukraine in the first few minutes of the Russian and Ukraine conflict.
Just as with any cartography, this information required interpreting. Google Maps did not specifically say that it was troop movements, nor was its satellite imagery up to the minute. During the process of researching this story, we’ve confirmed that Apple Maps presented similar inbound troop movement information — but it wasn’t setting out to do that either.