Google Disables Traffic Features in Ukraine to Protect Citizens

Google temporarily disabled map traffic data features in Ukraine to protect users’ safety amid the Russian invasion, The Verge reported on Monday.

The map features use anonymous location data collected from Android smartphones to show where there are traffic delays on roads and which businesses and stores are busy.

Experts believe that such data could offer insight into the progress of the invasion.

One open-source intelligence (OSINT) expert pointed out that he saw signs of the Russian invasion last Thursday after spotting unusual “traffic jams” at the Ukrainian border on Google Maps.

“I think we were the first people to see the invasion,” OSINT expert, Professor Jerry Lewis of the Middlebury Institute, told Motherboard last week. “And we saw it in a traffic app.”

Google affirmed that this step was made to protect local users’ safety after consultation with Ukrainian authorities. Hence, the features have been disabled from global access.

Nevertheless, Google indicated that live traffic information will still be available to drivers using turn-by-turn navigation features in the region.