00:00Did Apple deliberately remove Lebanese villages from its maps?
00:08Apple is under fire for its mapping service Apple Maps.
00:12Online users have shared screenshots appearing to show large parts of southern Lebanon without place names,
00:18while towns in neighboring Israel and Syria remain clearly labeled.
00:22Some have accused Apple of deliberately altering its maps to justify Israel's war in Lebanon
00:28amid calls from European leaders such as the EU's chief diplomat Kaya Callas to better support the Lebanese army.
00:35But there is no evidence of this.
00:37Apple says the names were not removed because they were never there to begin with.
00:42And for many in Lebanon, that's not new.
00:45Users have long reported limitations with Apple Maps in the country, often opting for alternatives like Google Maps.
00:51Experts say missing labels are more likely due to business reasons rather than being politically motivated.
00:57I think it's more related to business approach for Apple, where markets that they are working heavily on it.
01:03For example, in Syria, in Israel, even in Middle East and the U.S. like Saudi Arabia and the UAE,
01:08they are investing more in order to get more data, to get more resources from satellites, from 360 cars, taking
01:14photos and so on.
01:16One reason for the lack of data in that region is that Apple largely built its mapping data itself.
01:21In the past, it relied on external providers like TomTom and OpenStreetMap.
01:25But over time, it shifted to collecting its own data, using iPhones and mapping vehicles traveling around the world.
01:32That system isn't fully deployed in Lebanon.
01:35And Lebanon isn't alone.
01:37Countries like Jordan, Belize and Tibet also show gaps in Apple Maps coverage.
01:41Other factors may play a role too, including license costs, technical limitations and market priorities.
01:47Experts say Apple tends to focus resources on regions with the highest number of users, such as the U.S.
01:54and Europe.
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