Man Uses 99 Phones To Fake Traffic Jam On Google Maps

Google Maps is really handy in today’s world. It provides us with navigation to places that we have never been to as well as real-time information on traffic in specific locations. However, Google is not always accurate like how we want it to be. And this guy from Berlin just proved that using 99 phones.

Artist Simon Weckert from Berlin carried out quite an unusual experiment to test the accuracy of Google Maps. He turned on Google Maps navigation in 99 phones and put them in a wagon. He pulled this cart along the streets of the city, even passing by Google’s office.

If you do not know, once you turn on Google Maps navigation, the device is then tracked by Google. The company then takes some data such as speed and position for traffic status.

With all the phones put inside one wagon, Google sensed that they were close to each other and were moving at a slow speed, which is normal when traffic congestion happens. Google Maps then viewed it as a heavy traffic jam and marked the street with a bright red color. But at that time, the streets were empty.

Normally in such a situation, to save the driver’s time, the driver would then be recommended another route to reach their destination.

The method can’t be fully trusted since there is some necessary information missing in the blog post.

But it does show that the ability to track information of Google is not the most accurate. Someone who participates in criminal activities could actually make use of the same method to cause fake congestions to divert traffic.

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