Google Maps temporarily disables live traffic data in Ukraine to ensure safety of locals

In a bid to ensure the safety of Ukrainians, Google Maps has temporarily disabled some of its tools in the country, amid the Russian military's invasion, a spokesperson informed on Sunday. After consulting local authorities, the tech giant disabled tools that provide live information on traffic conditions and how busy places like stores and restaurants are, in order to help ensure the safety of Ukrainian communities. Traffic information for people using the app for navigation purposes is still available, a Google Maps spokesperson said.

Ukraine is facing attacks from Russian forces who invaded the country on Thursday after weeks of tensions at its borders. As missiles fell on Ukrainian cities, nearly 400,000 civilians, mainly women, and children have fled into neighbouring countries.

Big tech companies including Google have said they are adopting new measures to protect the security of users in the region. Online services and social media sites have also been monitored by researchers who are piecing together activity around the war.

A professor at California's Middlebury Institute of International Studies revealed that Google Maps helped him track a "traffic jam" that was actually Russian movement towards the border, hours before Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the invasion.

Google bans Russian state media from running ads, monetising content

Besides disabling Maps, Google also announced that it was banning Russian State Media from running advertisements, and monetization across all its services including YouTube, as they escalated the war on Ukraine. Google Europe team is actively monitoring the war in Ukraine, a spokesperson said, adding that "in response to a government request, we've restricted access to RT and a number of other channels in Ukraine." Earlier Meta, the parent company of Instagram and Facebook echoed similar measures. 

In a separate message on Friday, Google had said that the company's threat intelligence teams were searching and disrupting "disinformation campaigns, government-backed hacking, and financially motivated abuses, and work with other companies and relevant government agencies to address these threats."

Twitter, where the Ukrainian army has been posting updates about the casualties and outcome of Russian artillery, said, "We’re aware that Twitter is being restricted for some people in Russia and are working to keep our service safe and accessible."

Image: Pixabay/AP