Three Different Things: April 3, 2020
Three Different Things: April 3, 2020

Unmasking Twitter, Google Compliance, and Social Distancing Habits

(FTA)

It sure seems like multiple health authorities — the experts Twitter is going to rely on — have told us that masks “are known to be ineffective”: is Twitter going to delete the many, many, many tweets — some of which informed this article — arguing the opposite? The answer, obviously, is that Twitter won’t, because this is another example of where Twitter has been a welcome antidote to “experts”; what is striking, though, is how explicitly this shows that Twitter’s policy is a bad idea, not just because it allows countries like China to indirectly influence its editorial decisions, but also because it limits the search for truth.

Sometimes the value of a policy is to change the optics when you have to take action. I don’t think for Twitter it’s about treating every idea fairly.

2. Google uses location data to show which places are complying with stay-at-home orders — and which aren’t

A sample report viewed by The Verge for California, where a shelter in place order has been in effect since March 19th, showed steep declines to retail and recreation locations and transit stations, with a moderate uptick in time spent at home.

This is very cool but shows the incredible surveillance powers that exist in private companies. The data is presented at the county level currently, but I could see this becoming invasive as more people ask “who is not abiding?” Also, trend data can be misleading — for instance, residential time is only up by 16% (I’m guessing because time spent sleeping is included).

3. Social distancing isn’t available for everyone

Anonymized smartphone data in the United States shows some interesting trends. People in larger cities and urban corridors were more likely to change their travel habits, especially in early March. By the end of the month, most U.S. For many, it’s not possible to work from home or it isn’t safe to stay at home. Don’t be too quick to judge.

But who is not abiding? /s
["Sean O'Brien"]
['Data Science', 'Social Media', 'Data Visualization', 'Privacy']