WorldTech & Telecoms

Man Creates Virtual Traffic Block Using 99 Phones

After a German artist, Simon Weckert demonstrated how he “hacked” Google Maps with 99 smartphones and a wagon to create “virtual traffic jams” on the streets of Berlin, Google responded to the incident saying it “appreciates” creative use of maps.

In a YouTube video, Weckert showed that he put 99 smartphones with Google Maps onto a small wagon cart and then wheeled that cart around various streets in Berlin, including outside the Google office.

The smartphones apparently “fooled Google Maps” into thinking that there was a high concentration of users on those streets. Because the second-hand phones were in a cart, Maps was further tricked into believing that the traffic was slow-moving.

As a result, the navigation app started showing virtual traffic jams by turning green streets to red in the online navigational tool, showcasing how digital technology can have a real impact on the real world.

Admitting that it has not quite cracked travelling by wagon, the tech giant also hinted that it might use cases like this to improve how its maps work. “We appreciate seeing creative uses of Google Maps like this as it helps us make maps work better over time,” a Google spokesperson was quoted as saying.

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