Traffic volume is one of the most interesting features in Google Maps. After turning on the appropriate layer, we see green, orange and red lines on the street grid, which indicate how high the traffic density is on the roads. Useful when the user wants to check the occurrence of traffic jams in different parts of the city.
Google has disabled the traffic volume feature in Israel and Gaza. Because of the war
As reported, Google has now disabled the function in Israel and the Gaza Strip. This is the result of a request from the Israeli military, which has been preparing for several days – in accordance with Israel’s declarations – for a land invasion in the Gaza Strip. When using navigation, users still receive information about the estimated travel time taking into account the traffic intensity on the road, but they are unable to check on their own which streets are congested and which are not.
In a statement to Bloomberg, Google said that the company – as it has done “in conflict situations” before – “temporarily disabled the ability to view live traffic and traffic information.” notes that in the case of Google Maps, the function has disappeared for users throughout Israel and the Gaza Strip, but the Waze application still shows traffic in some parts of Israel – including in Tel Aviv. This service also displays information that the feature is unavailable “for security reasons”.
Google decided to take a similar step, among others: when Russia attacked Ukraine in February 2022. The reason for this step is most likely the fact that Google’s algorithms estimate traffic intensity based on all connected smartphones (including those belonging to soldiers), and not only passenger car drivers. As a result, using this function in Maps it was possible to track the movement of military convoys and locate places where troops were gathered.
, citing reports from the Israeli website, Apple also decided to take a similar step. The iPhone maker’s maps also stopped displaying traffic information in the region, but Apple did not comment on the matter.
Source: Gazeta
Mabel is a talented author and journalist with a passion for all things technology. As an experienced writer for the 247 News Agency, she has established a reputation for her in-depth reporting and expert analysis on the latest developments in the tech industry.
