One year ago, Congress defunded public media. Now that we're 100% community funded, please become a sustaining member or increase your existing membership today.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
Waze Says It's Impossible For Those Westsider Jerks To Make False Traffic Reports
(Photo by F Delventhal via the Creative Commons on Flickr)
Developers of the popular traffic app Waze have responded to a story published yesterday, saying that it is impossible for their app to generate false traffic reports.The report from celebrity gossip website TMZ claimed that Westside residents were getting annoyed at the amount of traffic their normally quiet streets were getting as a result of the Waze app redirecting drivers wanting to avoid the eternally-jammed 405. In order to combat this, residents were supposedly showing up at neighborhood council meetings to complain about the app and—in the most petty move imaginable—sending fake traffic reports to reroute drivers back onto the freeway. TMZ's story, however, did not provide any leads and a search by LAist did not turn up any neighborhood council meeting agendas or minutes that discussed the issue. Waze responded and told CBS 2 that it'd be impossible to generate fake reports through their app, even if these snooty Westsiders tried.
"Fake, coordinated traffic reports can't come to fruition because they'll be negated by the next 50 people that drive down the street passively using Waze," a spokeswoman for the app said. Waze also added that their app had a built-in system that was designed to prevent false traffic reports.
So the next time you're stuck on The 405, you can confidently rely on Waze to get you where you need to be. Rich Westsiders be damned.
One year ago, Congress voted to defund public media, eliminating a critical $1.7 million from our budget every year going forward. But they couldn’t silence us, and we’re not going anywhere. LAist is now 100% community funded and that means we’re taking our future into our own hands and turning to you to keep local reporting strong.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
