Opinion: Tech companies can track your panicky Covid-19 searches

The coronavirus, Covid-19. Google keeps track of user location as well as global traffic flows through its mapping service. On top of that, the search engine fields 3.5 billion queries a day, many of which are health-related search requests from consumers seeking medical advice. — Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/AFP/Handout

Two weeks ago, Sand Hill Road VC firm Andreessen Horowitz received some heckling after posting a "No Handshakes” notice on their front entrance. Coronavirus cases were still rare outside of China, and it was easy to dismiss the precautions as symptomatic of Silicon Valley’s heightened self-importance.

Now that multiple US cities have declared a state of emergency, it may be worth considering the decisions of those who spend their days analysing massive troves of user data – and considering whether that data might be used to draw any conclusions about the virus now known as Covid-19.