Google Says It Will Fix Vietnam Flag Issue on Image of Island

Google said it is working to replace a satellite image on its mapping software in which a rendering of the Vietnamese flag on the rooftop of a building in the Spratly Islands appeared to be deleted or altered.

(Bloomberg) — Google said it is working to replace a satellite image on its mapping software in which a rendering of the Vietnamese flag on the rooftop of a building in the Spratly Islands appeared to be deleted or altered.

The move comes amid a complaint by Vietnam’s government about the missing flag design on the building’s roof in a recent image. Vietnam said in a statement that it was working with Alphabet Inc.’s Google to fix the issue. 

“Google does not blur or alter satellite imagery provided to us by third party imagery partners,” a spokesperson for the company said in a statement. “The image currently displayed is due to poor image quality and we are working on replacing it.” 

The Spratly Islands are at the center of a long-running dispute between China and a number of nations in Southeast Asia. Beijing lays claim to a wide swath of the South China Sea, a position contested by nations including Vietnam, the Philippines and Malaysia. 

 

–With assistance from Linh Vu Nguyen.

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