Technology companies may become more pressured to share location data with governments to fight the corona virus

Most Americans have now received the message that they should stay away from everyone as much as possible. All non-essential travel is prohibited in San Francisco and a growing number of other cities around the world. Even in cases where life seems more normal, the government has encouraged social distance. And as someone in your life is it not but under self-quarantine, send them this brutal essay by Jeff Wise should do the trick. It is a plausible account of how you could catch COVID-19, even if you do your best to wash your hands and minimize social contacts; the prose is so sharp and strict that I almost found it cruel.

OK, so you are socially distant; I am socially distant. How is everybody doing? It is a question that we all have an interest in answering, from the government and elected officials leading the outbreak to ordinary citizens wondering how long we will all be stuck. But the fatally slow rollout of tests in the United States has made it much more difficult than it should be to follow the path of the disease across the country. And so the government has started to consider other solutions.

Tech solutions.

Here are Tony Romm, Elizabeth Dwoskin and Craig Timberg this week in the Washington Post:

The U.S. government is actively engaging with Facebook, Google and a wide variety of technology companies and health experts on how to use location data collected from U.S. phones to combat the novel coronavirusincluding tracking whether people keep each other at a safe distance to stop the outbreak.

Public health experts are interested in the possibility for private sector companies to collect the data in anonymous, aggregated form, which they can then use to map the spread of the infection, according to three people who were known with the effort and they talked about the condition of anonymity because the project is in the early stages.

You don’t have to be a member of the Electronic Frontier Foundation to shudder at some of the implications here. The government is going to check your location to make sure you usually keep a safe distance from people? Even if the data was anonymized as promised, it still seems like a dangerous precedent to set. When different could the government ask to track our phones?

Given the sensitivity people have had recently regarding possible misuse of their Facebook data in particular, it makes sense that this was the first question Mark Zuckerberg got during his press briefing yesterday. It turns out that Facebook has make aggregated, anonymized location data available to academic researchers. Issie Lapowsky registered about the program on Tuesday Protocol:

Andrew Schroeder is vice president of research and analysis at Direct Relief, an international disaster response organization in Santa Barbara. Since 2017, Schroeder has been using map tools developed by Facebook’s Data for Good team to track population movements during natural disasters and disease outbreaks. These maps use aggregated, unidentified location data from Facebook users who have enabled location history in their Facebook apps. About 125 non-profit organizations and research institutions around the world have access to it. Schroeder has used them to monitor evacuation efforts during the California wildfires and to map out the cholera outbreak in Mozambique.

But as social distance efforts flooded the country in the past week, Schroeder began to realize that the same tools he used to track where people are in crisis can also be used to track if they are left.

Schroeder told Protocol that he plans to share a daily briefing with the California Department of Public Health with his findings.

But Facebook is it not share data directly with the government. “We are currently not aware of any active conversations or inquiries with the United States or other governments seeking direct access to that data,” Zuckerberg said Wednesday. “So I think some of those reports may have just revised the disease prevention card projects we’ve done in the past.”

That seems to explain the Facebook part of the story. But what about Google? This is what the company said when I asked. (It was the same as what the company said Post.)

“We are investigating ways in which anonymized location data can help in the fight against COVID-19. One example is helping health authorities determine the impact of social distance, similar to how we display popular restaurant times and traffic patterns in Google Maps. This work would follow our strict privacy protocols and would not include sharing information about an individual’s location, movement or contacts. We will provide more details when available. “

I have been told that this work is at a very early stage of development. At this time, Google has not shared anonymized location data with the government and does not intend to participate in any industry effort should one materialize.

In short, whatever conversations may have been between Big Tech and the government, but it doesn’t appear that it will lead to direct location data sharing. Still, Senator Ed Markey, D-MA, sent a letter to the office of the Chief Technology Officer of the United States on Thursday with questions about how the CTO intended to use such data. “While I agree that we must use technological innovations and cooperation with the private sector to fight the corona virus, we cannot take action that represents a massive invasion of privacy, especially when it comes to highly sensitive and personal location data. “

Of course, other governments do not have such abuses about the use of surveillance. For example, here is the stage in Israel, according to the PostSteve Hendrix and Ruth Eglash:

Four hundred Israelis looked at their cell phone on Wednesday evening and discovered how closely their government is watching them during the corona virus crisis. The country’s health ministry had sent custom text messages to tell its citizens that a digital assessment of their movements showed they were around a person who was known to have tested positive for the virus.

It was not just advice. The text also immediately delivered a quarantine order, in line with the increasingly strict restrictions imposed by the Israeli government. “You must be immediately isolated [for 14 days] to protect your family and the public, “the statement said.

And this is what happens in England, via Alexander Martin of Sky News:

The government is partnering with the O2 mobile network to analyze anonymous smartphone location data to see if people are following social distance guidelines, Sky News has learned.

Ministers and officials believe they can use anonymous mobile phone location data to analyze how Londoners have responded to the social distance guidelines and the new transport restrictions.

One lesson from all of this is that if a tech giant ever tells a government that it can’t have a dataset, there is likely a telecom in that country that likes to give it away or sell it. Another is that we will learn a lot about the effectiveness of different technological approaches to tackle the pandemic. Again, it would be best for everyone in the United States if the company were to test people for COVID-19 with the diligence other modern countries have. But if that effort lags behind, we would do well to strive harder to develop alternatives.

Push back

In yesterday’s column, I wrote that if Facebook and its CEO were able to answer press questions about the company’s COVID-19 response, the other major tech companies that are now an essential part of our national infrastructure would be: Amazon, Google and Twitter. I also tweeted so much, and to my pleasant surprise, I got a tweet back from Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey.

I’m happy to hear it – and, of course, I’ll bring you everything that comes out of that briefing here in this room.

The ratio

Today in news that could influence the public perception of the major tech platforms.

Trending up: TikTok partners with After-School All-Stars to donate $ 3 million to help families who have lost access to free or cheaper school meals due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Trending up: Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan’s philanthropic project, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative partners with UCSF to extend COVID-19 testing in the Bay Area.

Trending up: YouTube launches a dedicated section for COVID-19 news to give people more access to trustworthy information about the crisis.

Trending up: Snap launches its Here For You search program a little ahead of schedule to help users who may feel anxious or stressed about the coronavirus pandemic.

Pandemic

⭐ More than 8 million people living in Kashmir, the disputed region between India and Pakistan, cannot get reliable information about the corona virus pandemic because the government is slowing the internet. Pranav Dixit has the sad story BuzzFeed:

A new government to order, released Tuesday, has extended the region’s existing Internet speed restrictions to March 26 to “prevent abuse of social media applications” and after “recent terrorist activity” in the region. However, locals said the restrictions on internet speed are unacceptable at a time when access to timely and reliable information about the coronavirus is crucial.

“I can’t even open basic websites that provide information and advice about the pandemic,” Nayeem Rather, a freelance writer from Srinagar, the largest city in the state of Jammu and Kashmir, told BuzzFeed News. “Most people in Kashmir don’t really have information about the corona virus or what’s going on in the world right now. It’s a crisis.”

More than half of Californians can be infected by the coronavirus within eight weeks, Governor Gavin Newsom said in a letter to the President asking for help. (Taryn Luna / Los Angeles Times)

Twitter relies more on AI to highlight content that violates policies while keeping staff at home because of the new corona virus. It is an attempt to suppress false information, but how bad will the false positives be? (Twitter)

Amazon struggles to improve warehouse safety after workers speak out about potentially dangerous conditions, given coronavirus outbreak. The company will no longer compel warehouse workers to meet in tightly packed groups for stand-up meetings for each shift. (Caroline O’Donovan and Ken Bensinger / BuzzFeed)

Unfortunately, Amazon also confirmed the first case of coronavirus in one of its US warehouses. Employees at the company’s warehouse in Queens, New York were notified of the news by text message. (Olga Khazan / The Atlantic Ocean)

Uber those rides have fallen by as much as 70 percent in cities like Seattle due to the new corona virus. The company is considering using its network to supply medicines or other basic goods. (Ingrid Lunden / TechCrunch)

Coronavirus tests are scarce in parts of the country, but some celebrities have been able to get tested without even showing any symptoms. The situation has sparked a debate about access and elitism and whether those with good connections are at the forefront. (Megan Twohey, Steve Eder and Marc Stein / The New York Times)

Scammers try to trick people into reserving a COVID-19 vaccine over the phone. They pretend to be from the Centers for Disease Control and ask about people’s credit card and social security numbers. (Zoe Schiffer / The edge)

Facebook is putting revision of augmented reality filters on hold during the crisis. It is a result of sending most of the contracted content moderators home.

Netflix slows down in Europe to prevent the internet from breaking. The move is in response to an unprecedented rise in internet use, as more people stayed at their homes due to the coronavirus pandemic. (Hadas Gold / CNN)

This Q&A on exercising social distance from New Yorker Ace interviewer Isaac Chotiner is very helpful in understanding what you can and cannot do at the moment.

Coronavirus has divided people into two groups: Those who can afford to shift their risk of becoming infected with a deadly pandemic to others, and those who deliver food and other goods to their homes. (Jason Koebler / Vice)

Even in the midst of a national emergency, some companies still ask employees to come to the office to hesitate. (Polly Mosendz / Bloomberg)

Coronavirus influencers are on the rise as social media continues to raise the voice of some people speaking out about the crisis, regardless of whether or not they have a background in medicine or public health. (Ryan Broderick / BuzzFeed)

Social media platforms have been unexpectedly reliable in spreading information about the coronavirus pandemic. But they also made the coronavirus content impossible to escape. (Amanda Hess / The New York Times)

What is coming back work from coronavirus look like? Zheping Huang shares the view from China. (With Zheping Huang / Bloomberg)

PSA: So far, 40 percent of hospital admissions of the coronavirus were intended for people ages 20 to 54.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has temporarily waived the rules in its rural health and e-rate programs to help promote better broadband access for distance learning during the coronavirus pandemic. (Marguerite Reardon / CNET)

Microsoft Team use increased by nearly 40 percent in a week as more companies turned to working remotely. The company plans to introduce a new real-time noise canceling feature for Teams meetings later this year. (Tom Warren / The edge)

To govern

⭐Trump has signed a new bill for coronavirus. The measure provides free coronavirus tests and provides paid emergency leave for those infected or caring for a family member with the disease. Here’s Lauren Egan at NBC:

The aid package sent to Trump on Wednesday is the second emergency law Congress passed in recent weeks. Last week, the Senate approved a $ 8.3 billion In-house measures aimed at research and development of vaccines.

With the passing of the second emergency law on Wednesday, the Senate Republicans turn their attention to what they call third stage of the coronavirus response: a $ 1 trillion White House spending proposal that would include $ 500 billion in direct payments to Americans.

Joe Biden a virtual fundraiser postponed until next week after technical problems with an online town hall. The campaign has been moved to virtual events as the coronavirus continues to spread. (Brian Schwartz / CNBC)

A mathematical model of how coronavirus can reform the United States in the coming months. (William Wan, Joel Achenbach, Carolyn Y. Johnson and Ben Guarino / The Washington Post)

Elon Musk tweeted that he is willing to have Tesla and SpaceX make fans to help patients with severe symptoms of COVID-19. Now Mayor of New York City Bill de Blasio wants to accept that offer. (Sean O’Kane / The edge)

Google has approved the creation of a works council in Europe to empower employees to take decisions about the company. The council gives employees the right to be consulted on matters such as organizational changes or layoffs. (Ryan Gallagher / Bloomberg)

The EARN IT Act focuses on free speech and privacy on the Internet in the name of saving sexually abused children. It’s a lot like the 2018 FOSTA Sex Trafficking Act. (Elizabeth Nolan Brown / reason)

Industry

Content moderation in India is often outsourced to outside companies. The process puts a lot of power in the hands of young contractors who have to decide in a fraction of a second what people can see online. (Prasid Banerjee / Livemint)

While we’re all stuck at home, we have a moral responsibility to share boring lives on the internet. (Kaitlyn Tiffany / The Atlantic Ocean)

A new project aims to turn social distance into a dating game based on ‘Love Is Blind’. Here are the pods cells on one Google spreadsheet. The dates are phone calls. (Taylor Lorenz / The New York Times)

The dating site Enough fish launches new video streaming feature to make it easier for users to meet virtually without renouncing the practice of social distance. What could go wrong? (Cody Toombs / Android police)

Celebrities flock to it Instagram Life to entertain fans while isolating themselves from the crowds during the coronavirus outbreak. Some notable faces include Miley Cyrus, Demi Lovato, Justin Bieber, John Legend and Chrissy Teigen. (Kalhan Rosenblatt / NBC)

Things to do

Stuff to keep you busy online during quarantine.

Choose a weekend project to help with the coronavirus response effort from this guide for technologists.

Also: Here are three ways San Franciscans can help with the crisis.

Check out this list of relief funds for restaurants, bars, and workers in the service industry – some of the people and places hardest hit by the crisis.

Listen to free audiobooks for children.

Try a free month Scribd, kind of Netflix for books with millions of ebooks, audiobooks and magazine articles.

Another meditation app is free through April.

Read in the censored journalism maintained in a library Minecraft.

On Sunday, watch a one-night revival of Rosie O’Donnell’s much-loved 1990s talk show.

Those good tweets

Talk to us

Send us tips, comments, questions, and anonymized location information to confirm that you adhere to the social distance guidelines: casey@theverge.com and zoe@theverge.com.