An artist wheeled 99 smartphones around in a wagon to create fake traffic jams on Google Maps down the streets of Berlin.
Google Maps Hacks~ Artist "Fakes" Google Maps Creates Traffic Jam with 99 Smartphones
Simon Weckert managed to create a Google Maps into reporting non-existent traffic jams by wheeling around a cartful of 99 second-hand smartphones are transported in a handcart to generate virtual traffic jam in Google Maps down in the streets of Berlin.
As reported by the Weckert in a blog post,
" 99 second-hand smartphones are transported in a handcart to generate virtual traffic jam in Google Maps.Through this activity, it is possible to turn a green street red which has an impact in the physical world by navigating cars on another route to avoid being stuck in traffic. " #googlemapshacksSimon Weckert tried this Maps Hack last summer, but only revealed the results this week for Google Maps’ 15th birthday.
Weckert essentially gamed the mechanism Google Maps uses to predict traffic.
Weckert stated that The Google Maps app constantly pings smartphones actively using Google's software in order to determine the approximate density of traffic and how fast that traffic is moving.
Weckert added that he wanted to draw attention to the blind trust many have in tech companies and platforms.
He also added in a statement that,
"Maps have the potential as an instrument of power for some intentions. They substitute political and military power," Weckert said. "We are highly focused on [apps like Google Maps'] data and tend to see them as objective ... Thus data are viewed as the world itself, forgetting that the numbers are only representing a model of the world."
However, Google responds via a spokesperson to the fake hacks and replied to this statement that;
"Whether via car or cart or camel, we love seeing creative uses of Google Maps as it helps us make maps work better over time,"You can watch the hack results of the experiment here:
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