Snapchat partnered with mapping data startup Mapbox in June 2017. Mapbox, in turn, pulls geographical data from a service called OpenStreetMap.

"Snap Map, similar to other apps, relies on third party mapping data from OpenStreetMap, which unfortunately has been vandalized," a spokesperson for Snapchat's partner company, Snap, told BuzzFeed News. "This defacement is deeply offensive and entirely contrary to our values, and we want to apologize to any members of our community who saw it. We are working with our partner Mapbox to fix this as quickly as possible."