google reports flu searches and locations to feds

[rtil]

SICK SURVEILLANCE: GOOGLE REPORTS FLU SEARCHES, LOCATIONS TO FEDS
Tue Nov 11 2008 15:34:50 ET



GOOGLE will launch a new tool that will help U.S. federal officials "track sickness". "Flu Trends" uses search terms that people put into the web giant to figure out where influenza is heating up, and notify the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in real time.

GOOGLE claims it would keep individual user data confidential: "GOOGLE FLU TRENDS can never be used to identify individual users because we rely on anonymized, aggregated counts of how often certain search queries occur each week."

Engineers devised a basket of keywords and phrases related to the flu, including thermometer, flu symptoms, muscle aches, chest congestion and others.

Dr. Lyn Finelli, chief of influenza surveillance at the CDC: "One thing we found last year when we validated this model is it tended to predict surveillance data. The data are really, really timely. They were able to tell us on a day-to-day basis the relative direction of flu activity for a given area. They were about a week ahead of us. They could be used... as early warning signal for flu activity."

Eric Schmidt, GOOGLE's chief executive vows: "From a technological perspective, it is the beginning."

Thomas Malone, professor at M.I.T.: "I think we are just scratching the surface of what's possible with collective intelligence."



Developing...

source: http://www.drudgereport.com/flashgof.htm

[redmongoose]

it is the beginning."

[lasse]

another part of google's plans for world domination

[sQueef]

fuck this big brotha bullshit im movin to a desolate island

[Daveb0t]

I've got the cold pretty bad

[billy]

I\\\'ve got the cold pretty bad

google\\\'s gonna get u fucken killed

after the tragedy of bernie mac, google\\\'s not taking chances anymore

[DrRumack]

I'm confused. How does this work?

[SnawsBall]

Pretty soon they will have a Google brand soft drink and a Google super market  

[ansel]

wait wat tha fuc

"looks like I have the flu. DARN! Now where could I get a flu shot? The doctor, hospital maybe? Gee, I'm just not sure! Wait, I've got a great idea! I'LL GOOGLE IT! DDURRRHRURRURRURURRR"

meanwhile at google headquarters: "memo: everyone is fucking stupid"

[rtil]

the tragedy of bernie mac

that's when i knew

[LordZeebmork]

everyone move to maryland and google search those keywords 384624932 times a day

let's fuck with the system!!

[DrRumack]

everyone move to maryland and google search those keywords 384624932 times a day

let's fuck with the system!!

this is gonna be great
good thing I live right next to a hospital