The tech giant said it has banned live traffic data in Ukraine for the safety of local communities.
VICE World News reports that Google has temporarily disabled devices that provide live information about traffic conditions in Ukraine. This tech giant stepped in after people around the world used the service to track the movements of military forces and civilians during the Russian invasion.
Google Maps Live Traffic works by integrating location and speed data from your smartphone into your app, then shows you in real time how busy traffic conditions are in certain places, or how busy those areas are in general.
However, when Russian President Vladimir Putin launched an attack on Ukraine last week,
Some viewers realized that the feature could provide an open source view of the location of military operations.
I think we were the first to witness the invasion. And all this in one map app. said Jeffrey Lewis, an open source intelligence expert and professor at the Middlebury Institute.
according to @Google MapsThere is a “traffic jam” at 3:15 a.m. on the road from Belgorod, Russia to the Ukrainian border. It starts *exactly* where we saw a Russian formation of armor and IFVs/armored personnel carriers yesterday.
Someone is on the move. pic.twitter.com/BYyc5YZsWL– Dr. Jeffrey Lewis (@ArmsControlWonk) February 24 2022
Opening image: Google Maps
