Google announced it will leverage its location data technology to track people’s movements during our coronavirus social distancing efforts. The company has a lengthy record of using location data for both pro-consumer and pro-business purposes, and now those same systems are being aimed at promoting public health.
The phrase “Location tracking” can be frightening in certain contexts, but there are useful applications of the technology that improve our daily lives. The obvious use-case is Google Maps, which, after following in the footsteps services like Mapquest, has changed the way the world travels. Even the simple act of giving directions is now a part of antiquity, as it has quietly become common knowledge that the best way to reach a new destination is to obtain the address and let Google Maps do the rest. Based on what Google is saying about its new plans for COVID-19 tracking, it’s looking to employ those same systems.
In a blog post from its Chief Health Officer and Senior Vice President, Google announced the initiative to help public health officials fight the coronavirus. The article explains that starting today, Google will release COVID-19 Community Mobility Reports documenting how social distancing mandates have affected people’s movement patterns, based on the same cell phone location data aggregation powering Google Maps. The reports are publicly available to everyone, and cover hundreds of countries, thanks to the decades of cartographical efforts Google is known for. These Mobility Reports will be updated to show results from within 48-72 hours.
Privacy Concerns About Google’s Coronavirus Mobility Reports
Considering that this is a conversation about an enormous corporation tracking people’s movements, it’s easy to fall into a cynical pit of despair about our “inevitable” dystopia. And while we won’t know for sure how this new initiative from Google will affect location data, it’s possible to take some solace in knowing it’s related to Google Maps. If the company is honest about relying on the same data that app uses, there’s a good chance it won’t be taking any more data than it already does or digging any deeper than it’s already been allowed to. The blog post mentions Google’s commitment to keeping data anonymous, giving examples of things it won’t make available, like “an individual’s location, contacts or movement” which matches up with what we’ve seen from Google Maps in recent years.
Furthermore, there are arguments that this could be of significant benefit to public safety. Social distancing efforts only work as long as a great number of people execute on that plan, so government bodies are encouraged to enforce them in the name of public safety. The more information we have about which areas may need more restriction, the lower the risk of the government infringing upon people’s freedoms. If social distancing in phases will be the next step towards eradicating the virus, as health officials predict, knowing which places are potentially safe and which are not could be huge.
Based on Google’s description of the Mobility Report system, it seems the best way to evaluate how concerned one should be about its privacy risks is simple: people who are comfortable with Google Maps will probably be comfortable with this.
