Man creates fake traffic jam on Google Maps by carting around 99 cellphones

[scooterscot]

He is my hero...

Simon Weckert loaded a hand-cart with cellphones and pulled them slowly through Berlin. This fooled Google Maps into registering severe congestion, marking the streets bright red in the service, and rerouting traffic to avoid the area.

99 smartphones are transported in a handcart to generate virtual traffic jam in Google Maps.Through this activity, it is possible to turn a green street red which has an impact in the physical world by navigating cars on another route to avoid being stuck in traffic.

Man creates fake traffic jam on Google Maps by carting around 99 cellphones / Boing Boing

[Eirikur]

Ok funny, but what did he achieve, cars getting stuck in traffic because they were rerouted and creates congestion on other routes? And who has 99 smartphones just to do a prank?

[original PM]

Ok funny, but what did he achieve, cars getting stuck in traffic because they were rerouted and creates congestion on other routes? And who has 99 smartphones just to do a prank?

Simon Weckert

It says so in the first line of the article?

[Hobosapien]

At least Extinction Rebellion have found ways of disrupting the traffic while most of them sit at home happy clapping.

[NickFitz]

Ok funny, but what did he achieve, cars getting stuck in traffic because they were rerouted and creates congestion on other routes? And who has 99 smartphones just to do a prank?

He’s an artist. Art is what he achieved

[PhiltheGreek]

He’s an artist. Art is what he achieved

Art? I thought it was a prank. What a tosser. Royal approval is revoked.

[GJABS]

Ok funny, but what did he achieve

A bit of peace and quiet in his neighbourhood. Good for property prices, that

[NotAllThere]

I've rarely found re-routes improve anything, so I'd definitely benefit from this.

[Mordac]

Have I missed something? Why did Google assume it was 99 cars moving at a snails pace, rather than 99 pedestrians moving at normal walking pace? Or did he actually do something a bit naughty and we're not allowed to know what it is?

[Eirikur]

Have I missed something? Why did Google assume it was 99 cars moving at a snails pace, rather than 99 pedestrians moving at normal walking pace? Or did he actually do something a bit naughty and we're not allowed to know what it is?

He walked in the middle of the road on the pics.