Google Maps has modified how people navigate the world. However, Google's influence is merely going beyond just locating and navigating. A whole flood of latest businesses, experiences, and ideas have grown up around the ability to zoom and pan around only a virtual version of a map. However, with incredible power comes great responsibility. One "hack" showed how clear it turned into play Google's system and altered the flow.
Although a few would possibly argue that Waze, which is also owned by way of Google now, does a higher job at navigating roads and displaying traffic information, Google Maps has, over time, incorporating a number of those into its very own app. The innovation enables human beings to catch up without having to switch between apps for specific information.
German used 99 mobile phones to hack Google Maps
Simon Weckert currently took gain of the opportunity with a "hack" - as he calls it - for Google Maps. To accomplish this, he loaded 99 smartphones right into a wagon and turned all of them onto Maps navigation. As he walks down an avenue, Google acknowledges the high awareness of "users" and the slow-moving "site visitors" and marks that street as having bad site visitors.
Somewhat hilariously, this would virtually cause other drivers in the place using Maps to be rerouted to avoid the "visitors" resulting from this otherwise innocent prank. Weckert even took the collection of smartphones proper outside of Google's Berlin places of work to create the virtual visitors' jam.
Due to the excessive cluster of smartphones all inside the same location, Google assumed that this turned into considered traffic and marked the regions that Weckert changed into journeying along with his wagon as having excessive traffic.
As cited through 9to5Google, this can affect different users as well, wherein the drivers who are using Google Maps are forced to divert to reroute other roads that enable them to beat the "jam."
ALSO READ: Google Maps knows where you're going and where you've been
Hacker uncovers flaw in Google Maps' system
The purpose of the hack-less hack demonstrates how current life has emerged, too, based on any such service. The incident has additionally uncovered a flaw in Google Maps' systems.
The tech giant may additionally alter its parameters and algorithms to remember this type of situation, irrespective of how far-fetched it could sound. That being said, it isn't very sure if this incident turned into something that could be abused or if it'd have been faked the entire time.
ALSO READ: Google Maps Gets Another Useful Waze Feature With Traffic Slowdown Reporting
Google 'continuously' refresh system to make maps as 'accurate' as possible
A spokesperson from Google, according to 9to5Google, has responded to this situation to clarify a few things. In regular usage, Google does use a massive range of devices strolling Maps in a single place as evidence of a traffic jam, something this uncommon and very particular case took advantage of. The company, however, does hint that it'd use instances like this to further enhance how Maps handles visitors' data.
Google additionally mentions that its systems are continuously refreshed from plenty of sources and that it's committed to imparting the maximum comprehensive and accurate maps possible. The enterprise also highlights, quite jovially, how it could distinguish between cars and motorcycles in some regions, but it hasn't cracked wagons just yet.
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