Google Maps turns off live traffic information in Israel and Gaza

Mapping provider says it has done this 'previously in conflict situations'
By Adam Hill October 26, 2023 Read time: 1 min
'Temporarily disabled' for 'safety of local communities' (© Bigtunaonline | Dreamstime.com)

Google has disabled its live traffic reports on Google Maps in Israel and Gaza.

“As we have done previously in conflict situations and in response to the evolving situation in the region, we have temporarily disabled the ability to see live traffic conditions and busyness information in Israel and Gaza out of consideration for the safety of local communities," says a Google spokesperson.

"Anyone navigating to a specific place will still get routes and ETAs that take current traffic conditions into account.”  

Israel has been expected to launch a ground invasion of the Gaza Strip following the attacks on Israeli civilians by Hamas on 7 October.

Live traffic updates can reveal large concentrations of people and troop movements: mapping companies including TomTom made a similar decision to suspend services after Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

GIS/ Mapping & Location Based Systems

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Mega trends will challenge transport technology
    June 5, 2015
    Jon Masters investigates some of the longer term trends that will shape transportation over the next 20 years. Business analysts and investors have already placed their bets on a future of technological smart mobility services. In December last year, the Wall Street Journal reported that Uber, the on-demand taxi and lift share smartphone app and start-up business, had been valued at $41.2 billion which, as the Journal reported, is an incredible vote of confidence for a company only five years old.
    Read More
  • What's next for traffic management and data collection?
    January 26, 2012
    As the technologies and stakeholders in traffic management evolve, what can we expect to see happening in the coming years? For many, the conversation of the moment is just how, and how far, the newer technologies and services provided principally by the private sector should be allowed to intrude into the realms of traffic management.
    Read More
  • Why intersections have got smarter in Chattanooga
    March 13, 2023
    Tennessee city has joined the ranks of urban areas seeing the benefit of ITS technology, particularly Lidar, at smart intersections – with a little help from Seoul Robotics. Adam Hill dives into the detail
    Read More
  • TomTom banishes range anxiety
    March 16, 2021
    High-quality routing and weather information is going to be vital in persuading drivers that electric vehicles will not let them down, thinks TomTom’s Robin van den Berg
    Read More

Highlighted Content