Your Phone May Be Contributing to Google’s Coronavirus Reports
Location data is a new, somewhat controversial tool in the fight against Covid-19
Google is leveraging its vast location-tracking powers to provide insights into how people are reacting to the coronavirus pandemic around the world.
People who have opted in to using the company’s Location History feature will have their data rolled up into anonymized reports that detail how areas are responding to the outbreak, the company announced in a blog post on Friday. You can see, for example, that as of March 29, traffic to retail and recreation spots has plummeted by 62% in New York state — no doubt in response to Governor Andrew Cuomo’s orders to stay at home and close non-essential businesses. Arkansas, which has no formal shelter in place order for its residents, has seen that same category dip by 29%.
Location History is an interesting part of Google’s arsenal. Users have to enable it themselves along with a Location Reporting setting, after which the company will receive feedback about your activities. I have the feature enabled on my personal account, and I can see a list of restaurants, bars, movie theaters, and shops I went to a few weeks ago, in the Before Times: Google automatically tracks my iPhone, no “checking in” required.
