Google removes street view virtual tour of Australia’s Uluru

Uluru was closed to tourists last year at the request of the Anangu people, who hold the site sacred

Google has removed images from its Street View that allowed users to virtually walk on Australia’s Uluru, a sacred Aboriginal site closed to tourists since last year, the company said Friday.

Parks Australia had asked that the user-contributed images be taken down in line with the wishes of the Anangu people who are the traditional owners of the World Heritage site.

The giant red monolith in Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park in central Australia was closed to tourists in October 2019 at the request of the Anangu, who hold the site sacred.

“We understand Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park is deeply sacred to the Anangu people,” a Google spokesperson said.

“As soon as Parks Australia raised their concerns about this user contribution, we removed the imagery,” they said.

The company said the images had been taken by users of Google maps prior to the closure of Uluru, previously known as Ayers Rock.

The Street View function allows users to take virtual walking tours of locations around the planet.

Thousands of tourists climbed to the top of Uluru each year in defiance of the wishes of its traditional owners.

The climb was permanently closed on October 26, 2019, the anniversary of ownership being handed back to the Anangu people.

Uluru has great spiritual and cultural significance to indigenous Australians, with their connection to the site dating back tens of thousands of years.


Lure of Australia’s Uluru hard to resist


© 2020 AFP

Citation:
Google removes street view virtual tour of Australia’s Uluru (2020, September 25)
retrieved 25 September 2020
from https://techxplore.com/news/2020-09-google-street-view-virtual-australia.html

This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no
part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.


Speak Your Mind

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Get in Touch

350FansLike
100FollowersFollow
281FollowersFollow
150FollowersFollow

Recommend for You

Oh hi there 👋
It’s nice to meet you.

Subscribe and receive our weekly newsletter packed with awesome articles that really matters to you!

We don’t spam! Read our privacy policy for more info.

You might also like

NASA astronauts cap historic ‘odyssey’ aboard SpaceX Crew Dragon...

U.S. astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley, who flew to the International Space Station...

Meet the man who dressed a pregnant Beyonce: Exclusive...

Tracking down fashion designer Peter Dundas is easy: you could follow him on Instagram...

Intel’s Announces Iris Xe Max Discrete GPU for Enhanced...

Intel's 11th generation 'Tiger Lake' processors come with the company's new integrated Intel Xe...

The NFL is asking for a 100% increase in...

New York Giants wide receiver Sterling Shepard (87) catches a pass in front of...