I was robbed after Google Maps led me down one of Spain’s most dangerous roads
A NETIZEN has told of their harrowing experience after they were sent down a dangerous street by Google Maps.
Writing on Reddit, user antjemarieh claimed that they were mugged and brutally beaten when the digital map tool directed them down the dodgy alley in Seville.
The road in question took her through an area of the Spanish city called El Vacie, which is Europe's oldest shantytown and a renowned crime hotspot.
"So I moved to Sevilla in Spain this week, and I was walking back to my Airbnb from the supermarket," the Redditor wrote earlier this month.
"Because it was my first day there I used google maps for the route back."
They turned a corner on to what they described as an "empty road" on Google Maps and found themselves in La Vacie.
"Before I could decide to turn around, a man ran up to me and grabbed my purse," they said.
"When I didn’t let go he kicked my head in until I gave up. I spent the rest of the day in the hospital."
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After speaking to hospital staff and police, the forum fan realised she'd stumbled into one of Spain's most notorious neighbourhoods.
"All the police and hospital staff asked me what the hell I was doing there, because it's the most dangerous neighbourhood of Seville," they wrote.
"When I went to the police station the next day to make a report, I was again told by three officers how I should never go even near that street, because it was so dangerous.
"All I could respond with was that Google Maps lead me through there."
Google Maps has no official policy on areas with a high-crime rate and will send users through them if the route demands it.
However, wanderers will tend to avoid sketchy neighbourhoods because the mapping tool has a tendency to stick to major highways and roads.
The Sun has reached out to Google for comment.
El Vacie dates back to 1932 when the first shacks were built at the settlement. In 2016, it was home to around 500 people.
The shantytown has a long history of crime and violence.
In 1993, Spanish newspaper ABC described it as "an island of misery" where residents lived in "subhuman conditions".
"Although it is usually related to drugs, robberies and violence, its biggest problems are the lack of hygiene," the paper wrote.
In 2016, the mayor of Seville announced that El Vacie would be dismantled and its residents relocated with the help of European Union funding.
The neighbourhood was due to be demolished in 2020 but the project was pushed back by the Covid-19 pandemic.
In other news, Facebook announced on Thursday that it's changing its name to "Meta".
The company is working to create lifelike avatars of its users that they can control in a virtual world called the "metaverse".
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