Google Flu Trends

Google Flu Trends ('GFT') was a service that attempted to accelerate the prediction of flu outbreaks in over 25 countries using daily algorithmic analysis of 40 search terms associated with flu such as 'cough' or 'fever' on Google's default search engine.

Released in 2008, GFT was discontinued in 2015 after criticism that it was inaccurate and potentially an abuse of privacy of Google search engine users.

Risks and harms 🛑

Google Flu Trends was criticised for making inaccurate predictions due to flawed data analysis, leading to potential public health misguidance and misplaced resource allocation, inadequate privacy and poor transparency.

Transparency and openness 🙈

Google was criticised for providing inadequate data or information about its data sources for external researchers to conduct meaningful analysis. 

Research, advocacy 🧮

• Lazer D., Kennedy R., King G., Vespignani A. (2014). The Parable of Google Flu: Traps in Big Data Analysis (pdf)

• Butler D. (2013). When Google got flu wrong

• EPIC (2008). Letter to Google CEO Eric Schmidt (pdf)

• Malin B, Sweeney L., Newton E. Trail Re-identification: Learning Who You are From Where You Have Been

News, commentary, analysis 🗞️

• https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/why-google-flu-trends-cant-track-flu-yet-180950076/

• https://archive.nytimes.com/bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/11/13/does-google-flu-trends-raises-new-privacy-risks/

• http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/16/google-flu-trends_n_4976372.html

• https://www.wired.com/2015/10/can-learn-epic-failure-google-flu-trends/

• https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/mar/27/google-flu-trends-predicting-flu

• https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2014/03/in-defense-of-google-flu-trends/359688/

• https://www.forbes.com/sites/stevensalzberg/2014/03/23/why-google-flu-is-a-failure/

• https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn25217-google-flu-trends-gets-it-wrong-three-years-running/

• https://hbr.org/2014/03/google-flu-trends-failure-shows-good-data-big-data

• https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2014/03/in-defense-of-google-flu-trends/359688/

• https://www.npr.org/transcripts/289802934