Tech giants suspend live traffic services in Israel and Gaza

WEB DESK: Google and Apple have taken the step of temporarily disabling live traffic updates on their Maps applications in both Israel and Gaza.

This decision comes amidst ongoing preparations for a potential Israeli ground attack on Gaza.

According to a report, both Google Maps and Wiz currently do not provide live traffic updates in Israel and Gaza due to the volatile situation in the region.

A spokesperson from Google confirmed to Bloomberg that the company has indeed disabled live traffic data on its mapping service apps in these areas.

The spokesperson stated, “As in the past, we have temporarily suspended live traffic updates to ensure the safety of local communities, considering the evolving circumstances in the region.”

Google consulted various sources, including regional and local authorities, before implementing this decision.

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The move to disable live traffic updates was made in response to a request from the Israeli army, as reported by Bloomberg.

It’s worth noting that this isn’t the first instance of Google Maps disabling this feature in a specific region; a similar action was taken in Ukraine in 2022.

Additionally, Apple’s live traffic updates have also been temporarily disabled in the region, as confirmed by the Israeli news site Geektime.

Both tech giants are closely monitoring the situation and have taken these precautions to prioritise the safety of the local communities during this period of uncertainty.