Will trend data see Google come in from the cold?

Search giant Google is using the data it collects during search to predict the spread of viral diseases, the Guardian newspaper reports.

By tracking keyword instances of ‘flu symptoms’ and ‘chest congestion’ by users, the search giant is hoping to raise alerts on potential flu outbreaks up to two weeks in advance of existing public services - an advanced warning which could help health professionals better optimise the distribution of drugs across vast populations.

Using its popularity across the world for the greater good is bound to gain Google some much needed PR points among the web community. Or will it?

Global dominance

The search engine’s efforts are hugely commendable and the effects could be ground breaking - but surely it’s only a matter of time before a legion of web conspiracy theorists begin to steer the debate round to the negative uses of such data, given Google’s increasing dominance in the industry?

Can we expect blog post headlines which suggest other less positive uses of social trend tracking and outbreak prevention – like civil unrest or nuclear contamination.

Perhaps not. But it’s clear that Google trend data is fast becoming a means to gauge the mood of the masses - a social barometer of sorts. Indeed, the Guardian newspaper reports that trendwatchers in the US recently used the data to try to predict the outcome of the country’s recent presidential election.

Unethical SEO practices

Its use by bloggers to boost their site’s position on search engine results pages (SERPs) has been known for some time. In a trend which could go some way in explaining the proliferation of garbled blog posts about Paris Hilton and Lindsey Lohan, many unethical bloggers are even writing content around many of these popular keywords.

Google search trend data may currently be the preserve of political pundits and geeks, but how long will it be before we see its use throughout public and commercial sectors? In a few years, it may come as no surprise to see Google search trend data quoted in everyday business reports.

Potential backlash

The real test of public opinion on this kind of data profiling could be when we hear of its use in steering economic or government policy. For example, when a web savvy regional development agency uses trend data to help sell its regions’ viability as a condidate for socio-economic funding.

Will we see accusatory ‘Big Brother’ headlines when one region receives millions in regional development funding over another because search profiling suggests that investment in one region’s locals is less risky because they input a higher volume of ‘free training’ and ‘job websites’ search terms?

Google’s search data has the potential to avert major flu epidemics and improve lifestyles, but it also has the ability to reveal a nation’s needs and wants, their fears and aspirations, all in real-time.

Just what other uses of this data the public will ‘tolerate’ will no doubt be made very clear, very quickly.

Read more about Cimex’s ethical approach to search engine optimisation and search marketing.