Google Maps stopped showing live traffic in Gaza and Israel at the request of the military
Google disables traffic information in its Maps and Waze apps at the request of the Israeli military.
Bloomberg reports.
Google said that disabling traffic information in conflict zones is a common practice. The company does this “for the safety of local communities”.
However, Bloomberg sources said that the feature was disabled at the request of the Israeli Defense Forces. Real-time traffic information can reveal the movement of troops during a possible ground operation in Gaza.
Although Maps and Waze will not show real-time traffic, drivers will still receive an estimated time of arrival, Google said.
The Israeli technology website GeekTime reported that Apple’s Maps app also disables this feature.
In February 2022, after the invasion of Ukraine by Russian troops, Google turned off the function of live traffic in the country. The service also suspended other mapping services.
In September 2023, Google returned to Ukrainian entrepreneurs the ability to register businesses on Google Maps.
