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HCR 121

REQUESTING GOOGLE MAPS, APPLE MAPS, AND SIMILAR DIGITAL MAPPING AND NAVIGATION PLATFORMS TO REMOVE, MODIFY, OR RESTRICT THE PUBLIC IDENTIFICATION, LABELING, AND PROMOTION OF HAZARDOUS COASTAL FEATURES, INCLUDING MERMAID CAVES.

2026 Regular Session Introduced by Darius Kila and 1 co-sponsor

Non-binding Hawaii resolution urges Google Maps and Apple Maps to hide or restrict visibility of dangerous coastal sites to reduce tourist injuries and deaths.

Received from House (Hse. Com. No. 566).
#applemaps #googlemaps #hazardouscoastalfeatures #mermaidcave
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Bill Summary · HCR 121

Legislative bill overview

HCR 121 is a non-binding resolution requesting that Google Maps, Apple Maps, and similar digital mapping platforms remove, modify, or restrict public identification and promotion of hazardous coastal features in Hawaii, specifically citing "mermaid caves" as an example. The resolution seeks to reduce public access to and visibility of these dangerous locations through mapping platform modifications.

Why is this important

Hazardous coastal features in Hawaii have been associated with tourist injuries and deaths, particularly as social media and digital mapping platforms have made remote or dangerous locations more discoverable to unprepared visitors. This resolution represents a public safety approach to reducing preventable accidents by limiting the promotion of dangerous sites to general audiences unfamiliar with local hazards.

Potential points of contention

  • Private platform autonomy: Whether the government should request (or mandate through future legislation) that private companies modify their services based on public safety concerns, raising questions about corporate control over information availability
  • Information access and transparency: Restricting location visibility on maps may prevent access to public spaces and limit freedom of information, while potentially creating a false sense of security by hiding rather than addressing underlying dangers
  • Effectiveness concerns: Determined visitors may still locate hazardous areas through other means (social media, word-of-mouth, other mapping services), making selective removal efforts potentially ineffective while setting a precedent for content restriction

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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