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Google releases anonymous location data to show how we’re fighting coronavirus

April 3, 2020

Via: Mashable
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A key strategy in mitigating the danger of the coronavirus outbreak has, in most countries, been social distancing — staying at home unless necessary and avoiding close contact with other people if possible.

Now, Google has released data that shows how well different countries are implementing this strategy.

The data comes from Google Maps, where Google collects information on how busy certain places are. You may have seen a listing for a restaurant on Maps that tells you how crowded it typically is at a certain hour; well, this is how Google does it. The data, Google says, is aggregated and anonymized, meaning it cannot be used to trace a single person. It comes from the Location History setting, which is off by default, and can be toggled on and off on your Google Account.

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