Facebook’s entire business model rests upon it gathering as much of our data as it possibly can. Normally that’s seen as a bad thing by privacy advocates (and really anyone concerned with keeping their information safe online). However, as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to rage across the world, this massive trove of our information could hold the key to slowing the spread of the virus. According to Facebook, it will soon launch a set of tools through its Data for Good program that will track whether people are adhering to social distancing measures and whether or not users are feeling ill.

Of course, the company was quick to point out that all of the data will be anonymized, and that users will have a choice to opt out. People will similarly have the option of filling out Facebook’s questionnaires about their health.

“A critical part of the Data for Good program is we’ve developed partnerships with academic researchers that enable us to produce these aggregate reports while protecting everyone’s privacy and individual data,” Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg posted on his page. “As governments seek to use data in new ways to get ahead of this outbreak, it is important that we maintain our privacy principles and have clear policies for these kinds of use.”

It’s a tricky balance, but Facebook is uniquely positioned to use our data to address this crisis. Hopefully the company continues to take these privacy concerns as seriously as they seemingly do right now.

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