Cambodia Local Guides Flag 395 Fake Google Maps Locations After Border Tensions

Cambodia Local Guides Flag 395 Fake Google Maps Locations After Border Tensions

PHNOM PENH, Jan 21 — Cambodia’s Local Guide community has identified and reported 395 high-risk locations on Google Maps linked to misinformation, deliberate deception and falsely listed or non-existent places, amid a surge in fake locations following the outbreak of the Cambodia–Thailand border tensions, its head said.

Chy Sophat, head of the Cambodia Local Guide Community, said on Wednesday that the locations were collected and independently verified before being formally submitted to Google for removal this month. He noted that the spike in false and misleading map entries began shortly after the conflict escalated, raising concerns about coordinated digital manipulation.

The initiative comes as Cambodian civil society and authorities intensify efforts to counter online disinformation, fraud and misuse of digital platforms during periods of heightened regional tension.