Last Updated on January 5, 2021
Apple Maps has blocked all directions to Washington DC, blaming “current road conditions,” as thousands of Trump supporters descend on the capital.
On Wednesday, the House and Senate will join together for a joint session of Congress, in order to confirm or reject the Electoral College votes from November’s presidential election. At the same time, thousands of supporters of President Trump are expected to descend on Washington DC in protest, and raise their voices in concern at the lack of election integrity and mass voter fraud witnessed in the election.
However, as supporters of the President are making their way to the nation’s capital, Apple Maps, one of the most widely used mapping applications in the country, blocked people from being able to get directions to Washington DC. Screenshots from multiple people were posted on Twitter, with Apple Maps saying that directions were not available because of “current road conditions.”
https://twitter.com/WhiteHovse/status/1346537020034789378
National File was able to verify the claims, confirming the block by Apple. However, while directions to Washington DC itself are blocked by Apple Maps, directions to any specific location within the capital, such as the US Capitol Building, are not. The discrepancy between allowing people to travel to locations within the capital, and the capital in general, has concerned some, as either both should be blocked off, or neither.
https://twitter.com/JackHadders/status/1346598367334457345
Some online commentors had suggested that the Apple Maps had closed all of the roads within the centre of DC, and claimed that you would be able to navigate to locations outside of the road closures.
https://twitter.com/pink_randoms/status/1346550450393378822
However, National File was able to confirm that there were no active road closures in Washington DC, with multiple phones not showing any closures.
https://twitter.com/JackHadders/status/1346604702318948354
National File reported on Tuesday that the leader of the Proud Boys, Enrique Tarrio, has been ordered by a judge to stay out of the capital, forbidding him from taking part in what will most likely be one of the biggest pro-Trump protests so far.
UPDATE: Apple Maps has reversed their decision. Directions to Washington DC are now available again. It is unclear exactly when this reversal took place.
https://twitter.com/JackHadders/status/1346612191240323073
