Google Maps Fooled by 99 Phones in a Cart!

If you know anything about Google Maps, you’ll likely know that it can track traffic in real-time. It does this by tracking mobile devices, which is a good way to track traffic, as typically, we all have a phone. If there’s a bunch of phones moving at 60 MPH down the motorway, Google know it’s all good. If there are hundreds of them stopped on a motorway, it’s a good guess that there’s a lot of traffic jams. It’s that simple, relatively speaking.

So, can you fool that system? Well, it seems the simple answer is, yes! Artist Simon Weckert posted a video on YouTube as he “hacked” Google Maps. He filled a cart with 99 phones, loaded Google Maps, and sent a friend out for a walk around Berlin.

What’s amusing is that it worked. Because he was walking and so many devices were moving slowly, Google flagged the roads in red. This is despite the fact that traffic was actually fine. Personally, I’m amazed it worked, as a particularly packed bus could pretty much do something similar on its own. At least, that’s my take on it.

For added hilarity, he even parked it up outside the Google offices there. Personally, I think he’s missed a trick, as he could have tricked Google Maps, but he could have also farmed a lot of Pokemon on the way too. Clearly, he missed a trick there.