Tech giant Google said it will publish users' location data from around the world from Friday to help governments understand the effectiveness of social distancing measures, adopted to control the COVID-19 pandemic.&nbsp;

The users movement data in 131 countries will be published on a special website and will "chart movement trends over time by geography", according to a post written on a Google&nbsp;blog.&nbsp;

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/53000-dead-over-1-million-infected-with-deadly-coronavirus-globally-290382">53,000 dead, over 1 million infected with deadly coronavirus globally</a>

The tech giant published charts that compare traffic from February 16 to March 29 to retail and recreational places, train and bus stations, grocery stores and workplaces with a five-week period earlier this year.

In pics |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/new-york-city-from-a-global-cultural-capital-to-a-ghost-town-290305">New York City: From a global cultural capital to a ghost town!</a>

The post further said the trends will show a percentage point increase or decrease in visits to places like parks, shops, homes and places of work, not "the absolute number of visits".&nbsp;

It was signed by Jen Fitzpatrick, who is the chief of Google Maps, and the company's chief health officer Karen DeSalvo.

The data revealed that in France, movements to visits to restaurants, cafes, shopping centres, museums or theme parks have come down by 88 per cent from their normal levels.&nbsp;

Local shops initially saw a surge of 40 per cent in the number of visits when isolation measures were first announced but it then dropped to 72 per cent.&nbsp;

In India, visits to places such as restaurants and theatres dropped to 77%.

"We hope these reports will help support decisions about how to manage the COVID-19 pandemic," the Google executives said.

"This information could help officials understand changes in essential trips that can shape recommendations on business hours or inform delivery service offerings."

Like how traffic jams or traffic measurements are detected on Google Maps, the new reports will also use "aggregated, anonymised" data from users who have turned on their location.&nbsp;

No "personally identifiable information," such as an individual's location, contacts or movements, will be shared, the post clarified.&nbsp;

Countries like China, Israel, and Singapore, earlier ordered electronic monitoring of their citizens to curb the containment of virus's spread.&nbsp;

Tech firms in Europe and the United States have started sharing "anonymised" smartphone data to better track the outbreak.&nbsp;

Germany is also considering a smartphone app to help control the outbreak.

However, activists said that authoritarian regimes are using these measures as a pretext to push surveillance and curb free speech.&nbsp;

In liberal democracies, there are fears that widespread tracking could have damaging effects on privacy and digital rights.

(With AFP, Reuters inputs) 
&nbsp;

Tech giant Google said it will publish users' location data from around the world from Friday to help governments understand the effectiveness of social distancing measures, adopted to control the COVID-19 pandemic.

Tech giant Google said it will publish users' location data from around the world from Friday to help governments understand the effectiveness of social distancing measures, adopted to control the COVID-19 pandemic. The users movement data in 131 countries will be published on a special website and will "chart movement trends over time by geography", according to a post written on a Google blog. Also read | 53,000 dead, over 1 million infected with deadly coronavirus globally The tech giant published charts that compare traffic from February 16 to March 29 to retail and recreational places, train and bus stations, grocery stores and workplaces with a five-week period earlier this year. In pics | New York City: From a global cultural capital to a ghost town! The post further said the trends will show a percentage point increase or decrease in visits to places like parks, shops, homes and places of work, not "the absolute number of visits". It was signed by Jen Fitzpatrick, who is the chief of Google Maps, and the company's chief health officer Karen DeSalvo. The data revealed that in France, movements to visits to restaurants, cafes, shopping centres, museums or theme parks have come down by 88 per cent from their normal levels. Local shops initially saw a surge of 40 per cent in the number of visits when isolation measures were first announced but it then dropped to 72 per cent. In India, visits to places such as restaurants and theatres dropped to 77%. "We hope these reports will help support decisions about how to manage the COVID-19 pandemic," the Google executives said. "This information could help officials understand changes in essential trips that can shape recommendations on business hours or inform delivery service offerings." Like how traffic jams or traffic measurements are detected on Google Maps, the new reports will also use "aggregated, anonymised" data from users who have turned on their location. No "personally identifiable information," such as an individual's location, contacts or movements, will be shared, the post clarified. Countries like China, Israel, and Singapore, earlier ordered electronic monitoring of their citizens to curb the containment of virus's spread. Tech firms in Europe and the United States have started sharing "anonymised" smartphone data to better track the outbreak. Germany is also considering a smartphone app to help control the outbreak. However, activists said that authoritarian regimes are using these measures as a pretext to push surveillance and curb free speech. In liberal democracies, there are fears that widespread tracking could have damaging effects on privacy and digital rights. (With AFP, Reuters inputs)

Is lockdown working? Google starts sharing data to help governments understand

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Is lockdown working? Google starts sharing data to help governments understand