Man fools Google maps by creating fake traffic jams

Simon Weckert from Berlin has tricked Google maps by using 99 smartphones and a hand trolley to create "fake" traffic jams in the German capital.

The Berlin-based artist pulled off the stunt and detailed his findings in a video published on his YouTube channel, as well as on his own blog, reports NDTV.

In the video, Weckert was seen pulling 99 working smartphones around the empty streets of Berlin in a small trolley, including the street right outside of Google's office in Berlin.

The slow movement of phones gave an impression to Google maps that there was a traffic jam in the street which was actually empty.

Google map soon started reporting traffic jams in the vicinity. The incident further questioned the credibility of crowd-sourcing data collected by the Google service.

Google uses the method to crowdsource traffic data the world over; smartphones in cars provide information to Google, including the speed at which they are moving, and how many smartphones are on that particular street.

If the pace is low and number is high, Google would show that segment of the street as red or maroon, suggesting that there is a traffic jam. The video shows the streets on Google Maps gradually turning from green to maroon, suggesting that there was a traffic pileup on those streets. Google's navigation suggestions would then recommend that users avoid those streets, even though they were actually clear to drive on, apart from having to watch out for Weckert and his handcart.