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Google to publish user location data to help govts tackle virus
France24 ^ | April 3, 2020

Posted on 04/03/2020 2:53:01 AM PDT by Oldeconomybuyer

Paris (AFP) - Google will publish location data from its users around the world from Friday to allow governments to gauge the effectiveness of social distancing measures put in place to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, the tech giant said.

The reports on users' movements in 131 countries will be made available on a special website and will "chart movement trends over time by geography," according to a post on one of the company's blogs.

Trends will be display "a percentage point increase or decrease in visits" to locations like parks, shops, homes and places of work, not "the absolute number of visits," said the post, signed by Jen Fitzpatrick, who leads Google Maps, and the company's chief health officer Karen DeSalvo.

"We hope these reports will help support decisions about how to manage the COVID-19 pandemic," they said.

In Europe and the United States, technology firms have begun sharing "anonymised" smartphone data to better track the outbreak.

Even privacy-loving Germany is considering using a smartphone app to help manage the spread of the disease.

But activists say authoritarian regimes are using the coronavirus as a pretext to suppress independent speech and increase surveillance.

And in liberal democracies, others fear widespread data harvesting and intrusion could bring lasting harm to privacy and digital rights.

(Excerpt) Read more at france24.com ...


TOPICS: Breaking News; Constitution/Conservatism; Culture/Society; Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: china; chinadata; covid19; freedom; google; location; privacy; russia; sidebarabuse; spying; technotyranny; virus
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To: dp0622

You’re welcome.


41 posted on 04/03/2020 8:07:30 PM PDT by upchuck (Democrats are always the problem, never the answer.)
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This is partly why the Chinese people ditched their phones


42 posted on 04/03/2020 8:58:11 PM PDT by Steve Van Doorn (*in my best Eric Cartman voice* 'I love you, guys')
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

Which is why I don’t use google, never sign in to it although I’m begged to all the time.

And why I never have my wifi and location turned on on my phone.

When ever I look at the weather on my phone for my area, I’m told to turn on my location.

Don’t need to, I know where I am.


43 posted on 04/03/2020 9:12:33 PM PDT by Syncro (Facts is Facts)
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To: Fitzy_888

Will a microwave oven keep Kryptonite isolated like a lead box will?

Asking for a friend.


44 posted on 04/03/2020 9:14:52 PM PDT by Syncro (Facts is Facts)
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To: Syncro

If you have an Android phone, unfortunately, Google DOES get your information, even if it is just from tower and Wifi network triangulation. You don’t have to sign in, you don’t have to have Wifi turned on (it can still passively receive) you don’t have to have location turned on.

That “free” Android OS has a price.


45 posted on 04/03/2020 9:44:21 PM PDT by Spktyr (Overwhelmingly superior firepower and the willingness to use it is the only proven peace solution.)
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

Bill Gates Calls For National Tracking System For Coronavirus During Reddit AMA

https://www.forbes.com/sites/mattperez/2020/03/18/bill-gates-calls-for-national-tracking-system-for-coronavirus-during-reddit-ama/?fbclid=IwAR1iq3G2dzaZoKsrRQULCj2Vskd8CVL_v8LcthyaoOkSLo7tBpsn2Pk2Es0#22632f576a72


46 posted on 04/03/2020 10:38:40 PM PDT by RasterMaster ("Towering genius disdains a beaten path." - Abraham Lincoln)
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To: CondorFlight

Bill Gates, MIT Develop New ‘Tattoo ID’ to Check For Vaccinations

https://21stcenturywire.com/2019/12/23/bill-gates-develops-new-id-tattoo-to-check-for-vaccinations/?fbclid=IwAR1r-Z6p-x5s8eXvNU-PCJwoROSP2U_nAQvRMz9lYAUQFzLBpcwSpfHqxBA


47 posted on 04/03/2020 10:41:01 PM PDT by RasterMaster ("Towering genius disdains a beaten path." - Abraham Lincoln)
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

The new norm. Well they can kiss my old wore out arse


48 posted on 04/04/2020 4:44:29 AM PDT by eartick (Stupidity is expecting the government that broke itself to go out and fix itself. Texan for TEXIT!)
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To: BuffaloJack; All

..... Just Leave the Phone Home.

Boom.


49 posted on 04/04/2020 7:01:18 AM PDT by LiveFreeOrDie2001 (God Bless President Trump!)
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

Just leave your phone at home.


50 posted on 04/04/2020 7:38:20 AM PDT by LukeL
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To: HighSierra5

My phone is always off unless I am using it. So don’t just go dark, stay dark.


51 posted on 04/04/2020 7:53:57 AM PDT by MeganC (There is nothing feminine about feminism.)
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

Does Google’s action “defeat” VPNs?


52 posted on 04/04/2020 8:40:35 AM PDT by CDB ("When You Strike At A King, You Must Kill Him"-- Ralph Waldo Emerson)
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To: upchuck

I’ve thought about getting a basic burner family phone to go out with. Would you advise that?


53 posted on 04/04/2020 8:48:28 AM PDT by RushIsMyTeddyBear ("Progressives" (elitist Communists) "Love you to death".)
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

“Benevolent” now, but wait until some government official realizes he can use it to monitor people and punish them for things that they do. It may be “anonymized,” but if it shows someone at your house 24 hours a day, it’s YOU, and that anonymous ID can be followed wherever it goes, and it’s obviously YOU even though your name is not on it.


54 posted on 04/04/2020 8:48:53 AM PDT by I want the USA back (The media is acting full-on as the Democratic Party's press agency now: Robert Spencer)
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To: Ymani Cricket

They can easily sift through the data for an accurate picture of social distancing effectiveness. Technology used for these purposes could be an amazing and helpful tool for fighting the pandemic. Of course the slippery slope appears and it gets used to limit our privacy.


55 posted on 04/04/2020 8:52:47 AM PDT by cornfedcowboy
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

Big Brother won’t stop collecting that data.


56 posted on 04/04/2020 9:30:58 AM PDT by tbw2
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To: RushIsMyTeddyBear
I’ve thought about getting a basic burner family phone to go out with. Would you advise that?

Why not use your existing phone but put it in a shield when you go out? Much cheaper. Then periodically during the day, take the phone out of the shield and check for voice mails.

Phone Faraday cages can be had from Amazon for $25.00 or less. Example.

57 posted on 04/04/2020 9:44:07 AM PDT by upchuck (Democrats are always the problem, never the answer.)
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

>>”We hope these reports will help support decisions about how to manage

...the public


58 posted on 04/04/2020 9:53:23 AM PDT by a fool in paradise (Everyone knows Hillary was corrupt, lied, destroyed documents, and influenced witnesses. Rat crime.)
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To: CondorFlight

“And Bill Gates and co. is working on various vaccines; “
_________________________________________________________________________

IMHO that is whats coming.


59 posted on 04/04/2020 10:04:38 AM PDT by Captain7seas (UN EXIT!)
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To: HighSierra5

DuckDuckGo.


60 posted on 04/04/2020 10:23:22 AM PDT by Eleutheria5 ("SHUT UP!" he explained.)
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