With a line of code, you can cancel countries.. How does the Ukraine crisis put Google to a tough test?

Google Maps took a big step in 2014, 6 weeks after Russia invaded Crimea.

A step the United States, the United Nations and the international community still refuse to take.

The company recognized Crimea as a Russian territory, but only in some versions of the maps.

And users in Ukraine still see the version of Google Maps, which everyone is accustomed to seeing as there is no definite border between Crimea and Ukraine.

But a light gray line indicates an internal border inside Ukraine - on the Russian version of Google Maps - a flat line suddenly appeared between Ukraine and Crimea.

For users in Russia, this font reflects what the Russian state asserted with its invasion of Crimea.

So that the Crimea unambiguously belongs to Russia.

Meanwhile, users of the global .com version of Google Maps saw a third version, a dashed line between Crimea and Ukraine indicating that the border is now in dispute.

Now with the possibility of a major European war, Google needs to be more prepared to respond to the potential effects of Russia's invasion of Ukraine as a sovereign country.

As one of the most powerful companies in the world, Google Maps is often treated as the ultimate cartographic authority.

Google has the ability to legitimize the illegal actions of hostile states.

East India Company "Technical"

From the British East India Company in the 18th century to airlines and energy companies today, private companies have long found themselves mired in international conflicts.

Although the British East India Company essentially acted as an extension of the Crown's power in India, leading Edmund Burke to describe the British government as a "merchant's country", the opposite may be said today of technology companies that are "above home".

Today, technology and social media companies are increasingly performing government-like functions on their own and entering into activities usually associated with the domain of sovereign states (Anadolu Agency)

The corporate relationship with states is no longer an integral part of the motherland. Today, technology and social media companies are increasingly carrying out government-like functions on their own and engaging in activities normally associated with the domain of sovereign states.

Tech departments are filled with former high-ranking government officials, Supreme Court-like oversight boards impose First Amendment obligations on these private entities, and send "ambassadors" to build relationships with foreign governments.

And of course, Google dominates the field of cartography, which, from the 17th century to the mid-20th century, was often a direct extension of the sovereign power of states.

Google Maps is almost ubiquitous with an 80% market share in digital mapping.

With such huge market power, many users believe that Google provides them with a map of the world.

This is partly due to Google's role in our lives as a provider of facts, combined with the feeling that digital mapping is scientific, objective and unbiased, as well as the fact that many governments have outsourced data management functions to private companies.

However, Google Maps does not have any support and scrutiny from authorities and governments.

Rather, Google Maps reflects the views of one private company that has a duty to maximize shareholder value.

As a result, the way Google draws borders or place names on its map often contradicts those recognized by the international community or the United Nations.

Users in Ukraine still see the version of Google Maps that everyone is used to seeing, as there is no definite border between Crimea and Ukraine (the island)

In India, for example, Google Maps displays the long-running politically tense regions of Kashmir and Arunachal Pradesh differently than users elsewhere.

With a new line of code, the original map can be changed in an instant from users who live in one country from users outside that country.

Google does not hide the fact that it provides different versions of maps in certain countries around the world because failure to comply with the laws of the country means that the company cannot operate within those countries.

Google's process of resolving geo-name disputes and not clearly defined boundaries has left the company embroiled in some of the most intense clashes on the map.

Over the company's short history and rapid rise to power, Google has become both an instigator and a mediator in deep historical disputes between sovereign nations, Time reports.

With tensions rising especially with the build-up of Russian forces on the Ukrainian border, the decisions of the most powerful American corporations affecting geopolitical affairs are too important to be resolved in a manner that appears ad hoc and ex post, as was the case with Crimea in 2014.

A Russian invasion of eastern Ukraine would present Google Maps with its biggest challenge yet, a challenge that would prompt Google's adherence to its policy of portraying the "basic truth" with concerns about Putin's symbolic victory represented by recognition by such a powerful American company.

In recognizing its power on the global stage, the report says, Google must have a more realistic and transparent plan for how it deals with contested borders in its ubiquitous products.

In the end, the real fact on the ground remains that the consequences of Google's choices in representing deeply entrenched international conflicts have come into conflict with the very essence of old notions of state identity and sovereignty, the report concludes.