Facebook launches coronavirus symptom tracker in app to uncover COVID-19 hotspots
FACEBOOK is offering some users a Covid-19 symptom tracker survey.
This voluntary survey appears at the top of the Facebook app news feed and aims to identify coronavirus hotspots.
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Facebook explained on its blog: "As part of Facebook’s program, we offer maps on population movement that researchers and nonprofits are already using to understand the coronavirus crisis, using aggregated data to protect people’s privacy.
"We heard from them how valuable this information can be in responding to COVID-19, and today we’re announcing new tools to support their work."
These new tools include "three new types of Disease Prevention Maps to help inform disease forecasting efforts and protective measures."
These maps, which could find out if social distancing is working, have been announced alongside the survey which will be for people in the US.
Facebook described the survey as "a prompt on Facebook encouraging people in the US to participate in a voluntary survey from Carnegie Mellon University Delphi Research Center designed to help health researchers identify COVID-19 hotspots earlier."
Participants of the survey will be asked to answer questions about their health and symptoms.
Facebook has said that the identity of anyone who opts-in to the survey will be protected.
The information collected could be used to create "heat maps of self-reported symptoms".
This could then pinpoint areas that require more tests.
Facebook may launch the survey in other countries if it's successful in the US.
A similar symptom tracker has already been created in the UK by researchers at King’s College London and Guy’s and St Thomas’ hospitals.
The COVID Symptom Tracker is helping to give a better understanding of the pandemic.
What info does Facebook hold on you?
- All the data on your profile - name, age, marital status, where you went to work, and so on.
- Your activity on the site - which posts you like, pages followed, photos shared.
- Its tracker cookies (which most websites use) can even follow you around the internet, so Facebook can also get an idea of the types of websites you like to visit – to serve you more relevant advertisements.
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YouTube has said it will be reducing the number of recommended videos spreading a conspiracy theory that 5G caused the Covid-19 pandemic.
And, social media has been inundated with bots trying to spread fake coronavirus news.
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