Google had disabled its map services for Ukraine which provide live information about traffic conditions and how busy different places are.
According to a Reuters report, the company said it had taken the action of globally disabling the Google Maps traffic layer and live information on how busy places like stores and restaurants are in Ukraine for the safety of local communities in the country, after consulting with sources including regional authorities.
Ukraine is facing attacks from Russian forces who invaded the country on Thursday. 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 taking new measures to protect users’ security in the region.
Online services and social media sites have also been tapped by researchers piecing together activity around the war.
The features will remain on for local turn-by-turn navigation for drivers, while broader global access is disabled.
“In the old days, we would have relied on a reporter to show us what was happening on the ground,” a researcher Jeffrey Lewis told The Washington Post. “And today, you can open Google Maps and see people fleeing Kyiv.”
Alphabet’s move appears to stem from concerns that the information could similarly be exploited by the Russian military to track the Ukrainian troop movement.
The corporation hasn’t offered anything in the way of specifics on the matter, including when the switch was flipped or whether it’s taken similar action amid other global conflicts.
Ukrainians have been taking a far more old-school approach to the matter.
The government’s road agency, Ukravtodor, began removing road signs in an attempt to confuse Russian forces.
“Let’s help them get straight to hell,” it wrote on social media on Saturday. “Ukravtodor calls on all road organisations, territorial communities, local governments to immediately begin dismantling nearby road signs.”
