Cops Flood Waze With Fake Police Sightings

A lot of navigation apps dot the app stores, but Waze stands out of among them for one particular reason: it lets users know when a cop has been spotted in any particular region. Though not always accurate, this has been a favorite feature among users, and an excellent way to help avoid getting a speeding ticket. As you might have heard, though, law enforcement isn't so happy about the feature, going so far as requesting that Google/Waze eliminate the feature in the name of officer safety. That request didn't pan out, and now officers are using a different tactic.

The official issue law enforcement has taken against Waze revolves around police office safety – users could, theoretically, use the app to see where a cop is at for whatever nefarious and devious reason you might imagine. Never mind that most people use the feature to avoid cops, not find them.

The request didn't find favor at Google, and so police officers have reportedly taken a different route when combating the issue: flooding the app with fake police sightings. The information comes from NBC Miami, which reports that cops in the region are downloading the app and making fake reports to throw off actual sightings data.

The move isn't surprising, given how easily the feature works: anyone who has downloaded the app can flag hazards and police locations for others to see. Law enforcement agencies are able to do the same, and there's nothing requiring them to make legit reports.

VIA: Gizmodo