On Jan. 5, as many supporters of the president were converging upon Washington, Apple Maps disabled its ability to provide directions to the district. Screenshots began circulating around social media websites like Twitter showing people opening Apple Maps on their smartphones and asking for directions to Washington, D.C. only to be met with this statement: "Directions Not Available. Directions are not available at this time because of current road conditions."
https://twitter.com/toddstarnes/status/1346544481483554817
Many pro-Trump personalities, such as conservative syndicated radio host Todd Starnes and Trump administration member Kyle Hooten have commented on the fact that this may hinder the ability of many of the president's supporters to safely make their way through the nation's capital to participate in the rally. (Related: MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell accuses Fox News of trying to 'overthrow the Trump administration' and says network staff should go to prison at Stop The Steal rally in DC.)
In particular, Hooten even mentions that Apple Maps has prevented people from being given directions to neighboring Arlington, Virginia, which is considered to be a suburb of Washington.
Other people online have claimed that Apple Maps is preventing people from entering Washington because of ongoing road closures connected to the upcoming protest.
The Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia has announced street closures for Jan. 5 and 6 ahead of multiple rallies and protests. The president himself is expected to speak on Wednesday at The Ellipse grounds right in front of the White House's south lawn.
"The decision to restrict vehicles will be based upon public safety and if safe to do so, vehicles will be allowed to enter the restricted area if they are on essential business or traveling to-and-from their residence," said the D.C. police in a news release.
This begs the question of why Apple Maps wouldn't similarly block their services to people who wish to participate in protests and rallies in D.C. and other cities whenever police departments in those areas block off roads.
Listen to this special Situation Update breaking news episode of the Health Ranger Report, a podcast by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, as he talks about how Congress – even the elected Republican officials within it – will most likely betray the president, and patriots will need to step up in order to rescue Trump.
Apple stealthily retracts decision to block Washington, D.C., makes no official statement acknowledging wrongdoing
Following intense public backlash on social media, Apple seems to have reversed its decision to block people from entering Washington, D.C. At around 5 p.m. on Eastern time on the same day, directions to the nation's capital have been restored on Apple Maps.
The corporation has not released any kind of statement explaining the behavior of its app. Furthermore, tech websites have worked quickly to explain away the situation as nothing more than some kind of natural technical issue or glitch.
"It's likely that a technical issue or current road conditions caused the problem," wrote Mike Peterson of tech website Apple Insider. "Washington is bracing for protests ahead of Congress voting to certify the 2020 election results, and officials have closed many roadways in the area."
"The culprit being a technical glitch is also supported by the fact that retrieving directions from 'My location' didn't work, though navigating to Washington from nearby [Alexandria, Virginia] did," Peterson added. "There's also a chance that a surge in users trying to get directions to the U.S. capital snarled Apple's system."
Apple's oversized power and influence over the daily life of Americans can even directly affect the ability of people to exercise their right to free assembly. Learn more about big tech corporations like Apple by reading the latest articles at TechGiants.news.
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