Discussion

• @natashanyt Natasha Singer on x

  To use the Google/Verily screening program to see if you're eligible for COVID-19 testing, you have to create a Google account or connect it your existing Google account. This is both a barrier to entry and a major privacy problem https://twitter.com/...

• @rmac18 @rmac18 on x

  Here is an answer from a Verily spokesperson. The tool is working as intended so that those who are “seriously ill” do not come to test sites that are unprepared to provide treatment. https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...

• @natashanyt Natasha Singer on x

  Your personal and COV-related data may also be shared with services providers, “including but not limited to” Google + Salesforce: https://twitter.com/...

• @natashanyt Natasha Singer on x

  Verily also said it would not connect the data people provided for flu-screening purposes with data in their Google account without consent. https://twitter.com/...

• @natashanyt Natasha Singer on x

  If you fill out a coronavirus screening questionnaire at a doctors' office, hospital or through an appointment with a telemedicine provider, your medical data is covered by HIPAA. Verily/Google, not so much: https://twitter.com/...

• @drtedros Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on x

  .@WHO is grateful for all the amazing work by @sundarpichai & @Google teams to help people stay safe, informed & connected during #COVID19 by: -Enabling access to accurate information -Fighting misinformation -Enabling remote work & studying -Supporting relief efforts & govs http…

• @davepell Dave Pell on x

  Trump lies about website. Google says they don't know what he's talking about. Media researches and tells the truth. Trump panics and calls Google. Google builds a local website. So now there's a website. But no one needed a website, they needed tests. And scene.

• @natashanyt Natasha Singer on x

  Update: Verily said that having people sign in with their Google account allows it to connect them with tools — like electronic screening — it has built for Project Baseline, its research effort to collect comprehensive health data and map human health.

• @pnjaban Harmeet K. Dhillon on x

  This is a huge problem. Why can't Google offer the tool without its usual data-scraping, privacy-invading practices? https://twitter.com/...

• @rmac18 @rmac18 on x

  So those with any Coronavirus symptoms are going to be turned away in this version of Verily's screening. Based on questions it's only meant to find folks that don't show symptoms, have traveled to high risk areas, and work in places w/ possible exposure. Not sure how this helps.

• @wolfiechristl Wolfie Christl on x

  “Californians will be able to take an online COVID-19 screener survey... People who meet eligibility and requirements for testing will be directed to mobile testing sites based on capacity, where they will complete a nasal swab test” Google/Alphabet blog: https://blog.verily.com/…

• @thekenyeung Ken Yeung on x

  Here's Verily's blog post about the website called Project Baseline. https://blog.projectbaseline.com/ ... Small side note: There's a G+ share button at the bottom of the post.

• @slpng_giants @slpng_giants on x

  Yesterday, we asked @google if they would pledge to not collect our health data if we used their tool to screen for Coronavirus. Today, we guess we have an answer: https://twitter.com/...

• @jenn_elias Jennifer Elias on x

  NEW: Alphabet's Verily has launched its COVID-19 screening site early! To qualify for screening, it requires users login with a Google account, they must be able to speak + read English and agree to info potentially being shared with Google. More here: https://www.cnbc.com/...

• @reckless Nilay Patel on x

  After all that, Verily's site arrived late last night. It is indeed region-limited, requires a Google account to use, and actively turns away people who have symptoms https://www.theverge.com/... https://twitter.com/...

• @shiraovide Shira Ovide on x

  A useful reminder that software is not magic, nor a replacement for resilient institutions. https://twitter.com/...

• @profcarroll @profcarroll on x

  Important analysis. The privacy tradeoffs this country is going to be asked to swallow to fight the pandemic with services built by the private sector and used outside the clinical context need scrutiny. https://twitter.com/...

• Vox Adam Clark Estes on x

  We finally know some details about the Google and Verily coronavirus websites

• @realdonaldtrump Donald J. Trump on x

  The Fake and Corrupt News never called Google. They said this was not true. Even in times such as these, they are not truthful. Watch for their apology, it won't happen. More importantly, thank you to Google! https://twitter.com/...

• @daiwaka Daisuke Wakabayashi on x

  Simple question - @sundarpichai @Google_Comms @coreydu — Did we call? If you're interested in fighting misinformation, this would be a good place to start. https://twitter.com/...

• @ddale8 Daniel Dale on x

  False. Media outlets contacted Google. Google said sister company Verily was in the “early stages” of developing a website for the Bay Area in particular. *More than 24 hours later,* Google changed its tune and said it is working with the federal government on a national site. ht…

• @nxthompson Nicholas Thompson on x

  When @lmatsakis and @brbarrett broke this story, they called Google, which directed the query to Verily. A spokesman for Verily is literally quoted in the piece. Here's the original: https://wired.com/... And the follow-up: https://wired.com/... https://twitter.com/...

• @kitttyms @kitttyms on x

  In truth, the project at Verily — which has a total of about 1,000 employees — is in its infancy. A pilot program is planned for the San Francisco.Testing locations have not been identified, and the coronavirus tests themselves are not yet widely available https://www.nytimes.com…

• @tripgabriel Trip Gabriel on x

  NYT coverage yesterday reporting Google was caught off guard by Trump's Friday statement, including Verily spox who says the project is only ‘in the early stages of development’ and planning a pilot rollout. https://www.nytimes.com/... https://twitter.com/...

• @brianweeden @brianweeden on x

  This is fine, it's not like we need good coordination, leadership, and clear communication from the White House right now or anything https://www.theverge.com/...

• @reckless Nilay Patel on x

  Google got played super hard here, which is whatever - all anyone cares about is whether people can get tested. But I assure you, we are well-practiced at covering “Google made a thing,” as are dozens of other publications.

• @tpm @tpm on x

  WH Continues Confusion Over Google's Role In COVID-19 Testing Website https://talkingpointsmemo.com/ ... https://twitter.com/...

• @reckless Nilay Patel on x

  Google announcing not-the-website at 9pm ET on a Saturday and Oscar denying it built the website today ahead of the 5pm ET White House website announcement tonight does not bode well for the existence of a testing website

• @reckless Nilay Patel on x

  New from ⁦@russellbrandom⁩: Oscar Health denies its virus testing website has anything to do with the White House flowchart. https://www.theverge.com/... https://twitter.com/...

• @soledadobrien Soledad O'Brien on x

  I will give props to the @nytimes for the use of “inflated.. far beyond reality” as their new synonym for “verifiable falsehoods” https://twitter.com/...

• @amuse Alexander Muse on x

  The Google/White House public-private partnership is BRAND new. It isn't unusual for many people within a company the size of Alphabet (100K employees) not to know about every project. If you're interested in how it came together here are the details: https://partisan.space/... h…

• @kaitlancollins Kaitlan Collins on x

  “The 1,700 engineers Mr. Trump mentioned were actually just Google employees who said a day earlier that they would be happy to volunteer their time on the project if needed.” https://www.nytimes.com/...

• @theplumlinegs Greg Sargent on x

  Remarkable new details about Trump's wildly incompetent hyping of coronavirus website: * Google exes caught completely off guard * Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai hadn't even talked to Kushner by then * Trump keeps making stuff up on many other fronts https://www.nytimes.com/... https…

• @nytimes @nytimes on x

  President Trump inflated the concept for a Google site that would help people evaluate symptoms and direct them to testing locations far beyond reality. The project is in its infancy and coronavirus tests themselves are not yet widely available. https://www.nytimes.com/...

• @pkafka Peter Kafka on x

  Asked about the gap between what Trump and team said yesterday about Google's testing web site and what Google said yesterday, Pence says he'll info on the site and tests and more at 5pm Sunday.

• @4030lisa @4030lisa on x

  Narrator; Trump lied to America again. He also lied about the number of people involved in it, assigning a strange number of 1700 rather than the under 300 people that actualy are involved in a website designed for SF's Bay Area alone https://twitter.com/...

• Vox Sean Collins on x

  Despite his experts' grave warnings, Trump wants everyone to just “relax”

• @google_comms @google_comms on x

  “We are fully aligned and continue to work with the US Government to contain the spread of COVID-19, inform citizens, and protect the health of our communities. (1/6) https://twitter.com/...

• @google_comms @google_comms on x

  “Google is partnering with the US Government in developing a nationwide website that includes information about COVID-19 symptoms, risk and testing information. (2/6)

• @rmac18 @rmac18 on x

  Google's online Coronavirus screening tool seems to be working incorrectly. The process only triggers the screening process once you've answered “no” to having symptoms. https://www.projectbaseline.com/ ... https://twitter.com/...

• @nxthompson Nicholas Thompson on x

  Trump's BS about the Google website may oddly have done some good. It seems to have forced the company to try to match the thing the President spun up. https://www.wired.com/...

• @daveleeft Dave Lee on x

  I fear there's a problem with the test. If you say “NO” to having any symptoms of Covid-19, it takes you through the process of seeing you can get tested. Say “YES” to symptoms, tells you not to bother. (!!!) Contrast what I got by saying no vs what Dai got saying yes. https://tw…

• @davidpepper David Pepper on x

  This is basically a Sharpie incident: 1. Get basic facts wrong 2. Clean it up by lying https://twitter.com/...

• @jeffdean Jeff Dean on x

  An update from @sundarpichai on efforts going on at @Google to help with the COVID-19 situation (product changes to get people more timely info, basic science and research, funding support for external entities, adapting to virtual wfh for many, ...) https://blog.google/...

• @yamiche Yamiche Alcindor on x

  President Trump just said reporters were reporting “fake news” about Google and the state of their developments. Below is proof that Google says they are in early stages of development which contradicts President Trump's claims. https://twitter.com/...

• @peterbakernyt Peter Baker on x

  Trump declared that Google would have a coronavirus test screening web site done “very quickly,” but Verily, a subsidiary of Google's parent company, says it is still “in the early stages of development.” ⁦@shearm⁩ ⁦@daiwaka⁩ https://www.nytimes.com/...

• @edmundlee Edmund Lee on x

  Interesting. After many reporters asked Google what the president was talking about and getting a very narrow response — it's just a pilot for the Bay Area — the company a day later offers a lengthier statement that seems to parrot what Trump said. What changed? https://twitter.c…

• @davidgura David Gura on x

  My apology? In the middle of the president's news conference on Friday, I wrote Google PR an email (left). A few hours later, I got a reply from Verily, not Google (right). https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...

• @tedlieu Ted Lieu on x

  Dear @realDonaldTrump: The next few months are going to be very difficult. We all have to work together. It is not helpful for you to keep misleading the American people. Google is not, and never was, building a nationwide test screening website. That's what their statement says.…

• @matthewamiller Matthew Miller on x

  Again, how does this happen? Not just Trump, but Pence and Birx, who even brought a sign about it. Rank amateur hour combined with institutionalized deception. https://www.wired.com/...

• @billkristol Bill Kristol on x

  “Officials in California were stunned to see the White House present their graphic for a modest pilot program that California's been developing with Alphabet as if it were a Trump administration program that was a nationwide initiative and ready to go...” https://www.cnn.com/...

• @bgr @bgr on x

  Google says it's building Trump's coronavirus website it didn't know it was building https://bgr.com/... https://twitter.com/...

• @judyatrinh Judy Trinh on x

  I don't understand this. Shouldn't CDC be responsible for providing this information? Are privacy protections in place? In Canada we have info about numbers of cases / and screening coming from health authorities. https://twitter.com/...

• @chillmage @chillmage on x

  Google needs to very clearly state whether the information being spread by the White House is true or false. The company is aiding government misinformation by not addressing this more directly. Say whether Trump / Pence are correct or incorrect instead of this indirect comment h…

• @daiwaka Daisuke Wakabayashi on x

  How did a Bay Area pilot project to find COVID-19 testing locations get sold as the nationwide Google testing website central to President Trump's efforts to combat the spread of the coronavirus ? Story w @shearm https://www.nytimes.com/...

• @hshaban Hamza Shaban on x

  Google, after distancing itself from Trump's inaccurate comments about a coronavirus website, now says it is “fully aligned” with the US government. Google, a day later, says that it is building a website with info about coronavirus. Feels like a surreal, haphazard retcon: https:…

• @gettingtrump Trumpster on x

  it will go to SF first and have its shakedown where it will then be offered across the country. https://twitter.com/...

• @nbc12 @nbc12 on x

  Though Google intially said it would not be publishing a national coronavirus website after claims made by President Donald Trump, the company has now announced a partnership with the government to launch just such a website. https://www.nbc12.com/...

• @fedporn Fed Porn on x

  The Art of the Deal https://twitter.com/...

• @dhh @dhh on x

  This is certainly one way to get companies involved. Just announce that they already are, then rely on the fact that refuting the president might have dire consequences, and voila, 1700 Google Gnomes spring forth from the magic forest to implement a flowchart. https://twitter.com…

• @daiwaka Daisuke Wakabayashi on x

  Verily said it would like to roll out the pilot website by Monday “at the latest.” Yet when I asked for some information about the site, the spokesperson said it features “a series of questions” and that there are no other details to share at this time. It's Friday.

• @sriramk Sriram Krishnan on x

  Without knowing any inside info, this Verily/Google/Trump situations sounds very much like a typical launch comms mix-up any PM here has probably seen. Very common launch approach to do scaled rollout. Also not typically understood if you're not in tech.

• @frankluntz Frank Luntz on x

  Also, the “1,700 engineers working on this right now” are actually just the pool of developers from which Google hopes to pull volunteers to work on the #coronavirus website. 👉🏻 https://www.theverge.com/... https://twitter.com/...

• @austinj Austin Johnsen on x

  Lol, VP just said it'll launch nationwide on Monday. Someone tell Verily https://twitter.com/...

• @darrenrovell Darren Rovell on x

  3:42 p.m. ET on Friday: Trump says Google is developing a nationwide website that will be “very quickly done” to help qualify Americans for drive-thru tests. Google, 94 minutes later: We aren't close to having this ready and it's not guaranteed to be nationwide. https://twitter.c…

• @daiwaka Daisuke Wakabayashi on x

  So, to clarify a few things from President Trump's remaks. The bulk of the website will be done by Verily not Google (alhough Google staff have volunteered and I don't blame the president for failing to grasp Alphabet's “other bets” structure. 1/x

• @krishansonrcf Kris on x

  This is priceless. It's even funnier now looking back on Trump taking a jab at the Obamacare site in his press conference. https://twitter.com/...

• @panzer Matthew Panzarino on x

  So. - Verily building the site, not Google (they are both Alphabet companies) - The site is not ready and will not be ready ‘on Sunday’ or soon. - The scope of the site is currently planned to be ‘the Bay Area’ at launch, not ‘America’

• @panzer Matthew Panzarino on x

  This was the little box at the top of the chart that everything else in the testing flow depends on. So what happens to the rest of that process to direct people to testing facilities now?