Amid the raging war, Google Maps Turns off Traffic in Ukraine to suppress the occupying force from using them against the country.
The decision was made after scholars noted certain areas of road congestion near Ukraine’s borders that corresponded with Russian troop movements.
Reuters has confirmed from the company that users around the world will no longer be able to see live information on traffic conditions.
Along with the business listings and operations in Ukraine after it consulted local authorities and other sources.
live traffic data on Google Maps is updated as a result of smartphones sending anonymized location information to Google. If lots of phone signals seem to be slow-moving or stationary (because of being stuck in traffic). The app then updates to indicate roads are congested.
Google Maps Turns off Traffic Layers in Ukraine
Traffic sensors are everyday parts of cities living in Kyiv, Kharkiv, and Lviv. As they become theaters of battle, there are risks to keeping that information. Especially if it details civilian movement fleeing the area. Which can be used by enemies and could put innocent civilians in danger.
Although traffic data has been disabled, normal maps navigation features are still functioning properly in the area. Data like this has long been used by people involved in desktop detection surrounding significant events.
On 24 February, an open-source intelligence researcher in the United States combined satellite radar images and Google Maps traffic jam data from the Ukrainian border. With this data, they were able to conclude that the invasion of Ukraine by Russian forces had begun.
Everyone will be hoping that this move improves civilian safety. And suppresses the use of domestic tools for violence. But still, if data is provided in real-time, there is a question mark surrounding how to keep people in Ukraine safe while sharing intelligence online.