Categories: Digital LifeNews

This man created traffic jams on Google Maps with 99 phones

Navigation apps aren’t just great in giving directions but they are also extremely useful in providing the best route thanks to real time traffic information. Since it relies on crowdsourced data, the real-time information can be manipulated if you have a significant sample size. Artist Simon Weckert has managed to do just that to Google Maps with a wagon cart filled with 99 phones.

To fool Google Maps into thinking there’s a traffic jam, he run Google Maps on 99 phones and then drag it along a number of streets in Berlin with a wagon cart. What’s hilarious is that he even did it on a street where Google’s Berlin office was located.

With a high concentration of phones moving at a slow pace, Google Maps was fooled into thinking there’s an actual traffic congestion on the road. As shown in the video, you can see how the traffic layer slowly turns from green to dark red.

This just proves that crowdsourced traffic data can be manipulated if it is done at a larger scale. If a road is flagged as congested, Google Maps users would be directed to use other routes and there’s a potential this trick can be used for malicious purposes.

It would be interesting to see if the same “hack” can be used in reverse. Imagine a couple of motorcycles cutting through heavy traffic with hundreds of phones running Google Maps. Anyone keen to try?

[ SOURCE 2 ]

Recent Posts

Malaysia’s largest DC charging hub is opening soon at Iskandar Puteri, Johor

DC Handal is expected to unveil what appears to be Malaysia's largest EV charging hub…

13 hours ago

Realme GT 7 Pro coming to Malaysia as first smartphone with Snapdragon 8 Elite chip, launching 18th November

Realme has debuted its latest flagship smartphone, the Realme GT 7 Pro in China, featuring…

14 hours ago

Malaysia to kill off NGVs in 2025 due to safety concerns

Malaysia will ban natural gas vehicles (NGVs) on 30 June 2025. Subsequently, no new natural…

15 hours ago

Is your iPhone 14 Plus having camera issues? Apple has a solution for you

Apple has launched a service program for the iPhone 14 Plus where certain units fail…

17 hours ago

U Family 128: U Mobile offers 1000GB shared data with 4 lines and free roaming for RM128/month

U Mobile has introduced its new U Family 128 offering, a new family plan which…

19 hours ago

PlayStation 5 Pro leaked – 16.7 TFLOPS GPU, 16GB GDDR6 dedicated VRAM, 2GB DDR5 system RAM

We are just three days away from the launch of the beefed-up PlayStation 5 Pro…

21 hours ago

This website uses cookies.