Google Maps adds resources related to refugee services for Ukrainian asylum seekers

Google Maps added an SOS alert to searches across Ukraine and temporarily turned off some of Google Maps’ real-time features after the Russian invasion, CNET reported. Google said in a blog post on Tuesday that the SOS alert will point people searching for evacuation information to the UN’s refugee and asylum seeker resource.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine is both a tragedy and an ongoing humanitarian catastrophe. We are working with expert groups to find useful humanitarian information as the situation evolves, Google said.

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Google is also focusing its security team on blocking suspicious activity related to intrusions and increasing the security of Google accounts in the region, especially around authentication.

Google said: Our Threat Analysis Group (TAG) has seen threat actors shift their focus to Ukrainian targets. We have seen attackers behind the GhostWriter threat group target the Ukrainian government and military officials. We blocked these Attempted, did not see Google accounts compromised as a result of this activity.

Google said its Project Shield is protecting more than 100 Ukrainian websites, including local news services. In preventing misinformation from spreading online, Google has blocked Russian state-controlled media outlets RT and Sputnik on YouTube across Europe.

It has also restricted recommendations to Russian state-sponsored media outlets globally, and over the past few days, YouTube has removed thousands of videos that violated its community guidelines.

With Search, Maps and YouTube still available in Russia, Google Pay may become unavailable in some countries, Google Pay added. We are committed to complying with all sanctions requirements and we will continue to monitor the latest guidance.

In addition, Google and its employees have provided $15 million in donations and support for relief efforts in Ukraine and $5 million in advertising credits to humanitarian and intergovernmental organizations.

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