In recent days, the world’s attention has been on Israel and Palestine. The tragic events between the two countries have resulted in hundreds of casualties. These events, which will find their place in history books, have prompted two tech giants to take action. Here are the details.
Google and Apple have disabled live traffic updates in their map applications for Israel and Palestine!
Due to the events between Israel and Palestine, unfortunately, thousands of people have lost their lives. While the countries shaping world politics have already shown their stance, tech giants are trying to remain neutral by taking various steps. The latest example of this is Google and Apple.
Google and Apple have disabled the live traffic update feature for Israel and the Gaza Strip in their map applications. For those unfamiliar, this feature allows users to learn about traffic congestion in the selected area.
Google and Apple made this change to prevent both sides from using the map to identify each other’s military units. The main reason for this action is said to be a request from the Israel Defense Forces.
According to Carlone Bourdeau, a spokesperson for Google Maps, users in the region will be able to see the estimated arrival time based on traffic conditions. However, this will not be possible in areas where traffic congestion is high. Bourdeau’s relevant statement is as follows:
“As we have done in conflict situations before and in response to the evolving situation in the region, we have temporarily disabled the feature to view live traffic conditions and congestion information, taking into account the safety of local communities. Anyone going to a specific location will continue to receive routes and ETAs that take into account current traffic conditions.”
The situation where live traffic congestion data is used for military purposes has occurred before. Indeed, during the war between Russia and Ukraine that began in early 2022, it was observed that there was traffic congestion on Google Maps during the movements of the troops.
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