Google uses aggregated anonymized location data from 131 countries to show which places are complying with social distancing and which aren't

New COVID-19 mobility reports show changes in traffic to stores, parks, transit stations, and more — Google is using location data gathered …

The Verge 2020-04-04 Casey Newton

Context & Ripple Effects

Google is repurposing an asset it already holds — anonymized location history from apps like Maps — into a public dashboard covering mobility trends across 131 countries, breaking down visits to retail, parks, transit, and workplaces so officials can see where distancing guidance is actually being followed. The move lands two weeks into widespread lockdowns, when governments are flying blind on compliance.

The follow-on coverage shows how fast this became a template: Apple launched a parallel social-distancing tool from its own Maps data within two weeks, and UK researchers began feeding Google's location data into models tracking COVID-19's spread across Europe.

First-order effects

Public health authorities in 131 countries get a free, near-real-time compliance readout they had no other way to obtain at population scale — no new collection required, just aggregation of existing signals.
Google converts a privacy liability (years of accumulated location history) into public-policy relevance, while keeping the reports aggregate-only to avoid exposing individuals.

Second-order effects

Apple's matching tool forces a de facto standard: two rival platforms publishing comparable mobility baselines makes the data harder for any government to dismiss as partisan or incomplete.
Epidemiological modelers shift from survey-based movement estimates to passively collected platform data, making Google and Apple upstream suppliers to outbreak forecasting rather than just consumer app makers.

Third-order effects

If crisis-era dashboards persist, aggregated location data becomes standing public-health infrastructure — raising the stakes for the privacy rules governing who can request it and for what, since the same pipelines serve commerce and epidemiology alike.
Platform-scale data holders gain a structural advantage in future emergencies: only companies with global sensor networks can produce these reports, concentrating situational awareness in a handful of firms.

The trend: Aggregated smartphone location data is being institutionalized as a public-health measurement layer, with Google and Apple as its de facto gatekeepers.

Discussion

@grahamkates Graham Kates on x
“In a crisis people may consent to this, but there has never really been a public debate about whether we agree to it in principle. The aftermath of this crisis may start such a debate,” - @DamianCollins https://www.cbsnews.com/...
@lorenzofb Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai on x
New: we saw NSO Group's new surveillance software, which the company is pitching to governments to track COVID-19 patients. It's a mass surveillance system that's easy to use, granular, and has privacy experts very worried. https://www.vice.com/... https://twitter.com/...
@laurelcoons Laurel Coons on x
#StayAtHome Analysis: 🦠Google is using location data from cell phones to help public health officials understand how people's movements have changed in response to the #COVID19 pandemic 🦠No nationwide stay-at-home order in US #Lockdown #Coronavirus 👉https://www.blog.google/ ... h…
@deniseforar Denise Garner on x
Google launched new website that uses anonymous location data collected from users of Google products/services to show level of social distancing taking place in various locations. AR, we need to do better! @AsaHutchinson @wesleybgarn https://www.cnbc.com/... https://twitter.com/…
@shahidforchange @shahidforchange on x
Some responses to the coronavirus pandemic pose threats to civil liberties. They could enable authoritarianism. Any surveillance to protect public health must have tight controls limiting: 📌collection 📌access 📌use 📌retention 📌dissemination 📌secrecy https://theintercept.com/...
@bfriedmandc Brandon Friedman on x
People staying at home: White collar professionals with home offices People going to work: Nurses, grocery store workers, yard maintenance workers, postal carriers, construction workers, bank tellers https://www.nytimes.com/...
@why0hy Joe on x
Google's “sharing” of its stash of stalking data “to fight the corona virus” is like someone who robbed a bank last week deciding to redeem himself by donating half of the booty to the government to pay for face masks.
@jason_kint Jason Kint on x
My take: “While it's a noble effort and the anonymous presentation is interesting, it's asking a lot to trust a company who's entire business model is about surveillance and monetization of as much personal data across our lives as they can collect.”
@drzuhdijasser @drzuhdijasser on x
So here's passive-aggressive ⁦@Google⁩ to the salivating police state wannabees... Our aggregate data shows these businesses with high volume activity - go get'em. This is getting out of hand. “Google's COVID-19 location data shows violations...” https://www.engadget.com/...
@googlehealth @googlehealth on x
Today we are publishing an early release of our COVID-19 Community Mobility Reports to help provide insights into what has changed in response to work from home, shelter in place, and other policies aimed at flattening the curve of this pandemic https://www.blog.google/... https:…
@googlemaps @googlemaps on x
Learn how we're aiming to help public health officials combat the pandemic through an early release of our COVID-19 Community Mobility Reports → https://www.blog.google/... https://twitter.com/...
@leakissner Lea Kissner on x
This is a great aggregated & anonymous data set on people-movement to see how much people are sheltering in place in an effort to flatten the curve. I'm not an epidemiologist, but this looks: 1) more useful 2) more privacy-protecting than other data 🧵 https://www.blog.google/...
@gleemie @gleemie on x
It looks like Google is a step away from using our phones to tell cities and counties who is out in non essential places. https://www.cnbc.com/...
@chrissyfarr Christina Farr on x
Surveillance is going to be a part of this process, as we're already seeing. https://twitter.com/...
@marshacollier Marsha Collier on x
New Google Site Shows Where People In A Community Are Taking Social Distancing Seriously — and where they're not 😷The #COVID19 Community Mobility Reports will show data trends 😷 It will show change over several weeks & as recent as 48-to-72 hours prior https://www.cnbc.com/...
@bhweingarten Benjamin Weingarten on x
How many steps away from a social credit system? https://www.wsj.com/...
@sundarpichai Sundar Pichai on x
We've published an early release of our #COVID19 Community Mobility Reports in 130+ countries which provide insights that could help public health officials understand the impact of response strategies such as social distancing: http://google.com/... https://blog.google/...
@geoffreyfowler Geoffrey A. Fowler on x
Question, @sundarpichai: Why release this data as a series of PDFs? How is that helpful to public health officials? https://twitter.com/...
@privacymatters Privacy Matters on x
Google publishes COVID-19 Community Mobility Reports that chart movement trends over time by geography, across different categories of places such as retail and recreation, groceries and pharmacies, parks, transit stations, workplaces, and residential. https://www.google.com/...
@profgalloway Scott Galloway on x
Great use of their tech — Google will share some of its user location data, covering 131 countries, to help public health officials track people's movements amid the coronavirus pandemic https://www.wsj.com/...
@wsj @wsj on x
Google will share some of its user location data, covering 131 countries, to help public health officials track people's movements amid the coronavirus pandemic https://www.wsj.com/...
@gregggonsalves Gregg Gonsalves on x
Much better analysis of movement data. “Location Data Says It All: Staying at Home During Coronavirus Is a Luxury” https://www.nytimes.com/...
@rortybomb Mike Konczal on x
Brutal. One of the more telling data pieces I've seen, and also helps explain why we simply can't freeze work in place with our levels of poverty and lack of worker voice or security. Staying at Home During Coronavirus Is a Luxury https://www.nytimes.com/...
@farzad_md Farzad Mostashari on x
2/ Let me first distinguish this from use of aggregated anonymous location data to help understand changes in mobility and the effectiveness of social distancing interventions I think it will be feasible, useful, and I'm OK (I think) w the privacy risks https://www.wsj.com/... ht…
@tonyromm Tony Romm on x
NEW: Google taps vast trove of location data to aid global effort to combat coronavirus, fueling debate over privacy and public health https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ...
@alan_karthi Alan Karthikesalingam on x
Launched in support of international efforts to combat COVID-19. Reports to deliver insights to public health officials around the world, with the same privacy-preserving techniques that estimate busyness on Maps @GoogleHealth. #StayHomeSaveLives https://twitter.com/...
@privacymatters Privacy Matters on x
And blog post here https://www.blog.google/... “These are unprecedented times and we will continue to evaluate these reports as we get feedback from public health officials, civil society groups, local governments and the community at large.” < but how can feedback be given? http…
@poloolop Umang Saini on x
India -47% for offices, +22% for residential. Compared to baseline. There was a spike on JantaCurfew day. https://www.google.com/... https://twitter.com/...
@nzewok Jamie Craig on x
Interesting report. NZ -94% movement for recreational and retail. Compare to NSW in AU which is only -44% https://twitter.com/...
@tedonprivacy Ted on x
Today, we're announcing an early release of reports helping public health officials understand the public response to flatten-the-curve policies. These are aggregated and anonymized insights: all the data we're publishing is differentially private. https://www.blog.google/...
@dseetharaman Deepa Seetharaman on x
good story that sheds light on how Facebook data is helping to cities / states amid the pandemic https://twitter.com/...
@evanderburg Eric Vanderburg on x
Google Reveals Location Data to Help the Coronavirus Response http://i.securitythinkingcap.com/ RT78QT https://twitter.com/...
@stanfordcis Stanford Cis on x
“This is a good example of where aggregate location data can be developed in a privacy sensitive way to provide actionable information to decision makers on the effectiveness of social distancing.” @agidari on @Google sharing location data. https://www.wired.com/...
@doblezeta Yves Gonzalez on x
Google has released a new Community Mobility Report website where everyone can download country reports to see the impact of social distancing guidelines related to COVID-19 https://www.google.com/... https://twitter.com/...
@josephmenn Joseph Menn on x
Location data, thus far sanitized for your protection, is beginning to flow from tech companies to public health authorities. Our story: https://www.reuters.com/...
@agidari Albert Gidari on x
Another example of mobility data that public health experts find useful and that is provided in a privacy protective way. If anything comes out of this pandemic, it would be great to see tech companies, public health experts and civil liberty groups meet and confer. https://twitt…
@simulacrandrew Andrew Schroeder on x
“With the virus already spread throughout the country, the research focuses on the success of measures designed to get people to stay home, as almost 40 U.S. states have ordered.” #Covid19 @DirectRelief https://www.reuters.com/...

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