Brilliant use of search data

[msmemory_archive]

NY Times reports that Google is now charting the spread of the flu using aggregated search data superimposed on zip/state data. If there's a spike in searches on "flu symptoms" for example, in New England, then the hypothesis is that there is an uptick in the incidence of flu. The data are supporting the notion, too. That is SO COOL.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/12/technology/internet/12flu.html

Comments

[baron-steffan.livejournal.com]

Invasive of privacy? Only very vaguely, I think.

But spoofable? Well, yeah. There is that.

Still, Hari Seldon would be proud %^).

[goldsquare.livejournal.com]

I am somewhat familiar with the issues of privacy on line.

After all, my company just introduced a product line that does advertising based upon behavioral targeting... And I've worked in this arena for a while.

Suffice it to say that someone I know is considering bankruptcy, and I thought quite a bit before I did web searches on the topic...

[msmemory.livejournal.com]

There is a reason why I will not accept a CVS customer card: I do not want them tracking my health conditions vs. my other purchases. (It's already intrusive that they put flyers for support groups in with certain of my prescriptions.) But that's a lot more detailed than Google is.

[goldsquare.livejournal.com]

I don't have one.

Do you ever use the same credit card for prescriptions and regular purchases?

Common identifiers are common. :-)

[baron-steffan.livejournal.com]

As a pharmacist [and former (twice!) CVS employee], I'm wondering what you mean by "tracking my health conditions vs. my other purchases". I assume you're referring to OTC purchases, since integrating Rx history into the keytag-thingie would set off some pretty high-decibel HIPAA sirens.