Will Big Tech Come To The Rescue Against COVID-19?

Big Tech is facing a ‘Big Brother' trap as coronavirus spreads over the globe. While it is under scrutiny for privacy issues for quite some time now, Silicon Valley faces the question of whether — or how — to use all the information they have on their users to help in the fight against the invisible enemy, COVID-19.

And believe it or not, the Trump administration has asked them for help. For these companies, this plea is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to restore their reputation as they are being asked to step in and take action during a global emergency.

Facebook Inc FB and Twitter Inc TWTR declined to comment on whether they had received government requests to share data, whereas Alphabet GOOG GOOGL initially did not respond but later emailed that it is exploring ways while following its stringent privacy protocols and would not involve sharing data about any individual's location, movement, or contacts.

What They Did Already

One thing we know for sure is that these companies hold sizeable cash reserves. Facebook was the latest company to announce on Tuesday it will help to heal the economic damage from the coronavirus. The social media giant will donate $100 million in cash grants and ad credits to up to 30,000 small businesses in over 30 countries.

Last week, Google was the very first to take action, as it developed a website to help speed up the process of finding who needs a coronavirus test.

On Monday, Amazon.com Inc AMZN announced it will hire 100,000 warehouse and delivery workers in the United States to deal with a surge in online orders. The company will also increase its minimum wage from $15 per hour to $17 per hour to all US workers through April.

Apple Inc's AAPL devices and apps are helping people get their work done while also keeping their kids entertained. Microsoft Corporation MSFT has made working from home possible for many—quite helpful now that it's necessary for the majority of office workers.

The Big Brother Trap

Arguably the single most powerful tool at their disposal, the data they have on users, is exactly what got these tech companies in trouble in the first place. Big Tech has been fighting the perception that they're Big Brother for quite some time now, but in a pandemic, that very data collection could be extremely useful. 

Israel is deploying a spy technology to track the virus, triggering fears of privacy invasion as until now, this was only done in the case of counterterrorism. In the UK, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said that in order to beat this crisis, we need a combination of better science and technology to enhance government operations and provide economic and social support. In other words, we all need a lot of help to win this war, and Big Tech can provide us with the help we need. Just two years after the Cambridge Analytica scandal, society now finds itself more reliant on social media and big tech than ever before. 

On The Other Hand, They Could Do So Much For Public Health

Only a decade ago, Google, enchanted users with Flu Trends, a project using the search terms people typed into Google to map the spread of influenza. Facebook, Apple, Twitter, Amazon, and Google hold data that's a public health researcher's dream. They know where its users are, what they are searching for, what they are buying, and who are they spending time with. This is everything that epidemiologists need to know early on where outbreaks were likely to occur, where to deploy testing and send the vaccines the world is so eagerly waiting for. Moreover, it would enable analysts to figure out if we're seeing a full spread or just the tip of the iceberg.

To Shine Or Not To Shine?

These companies have an immense capacity to influence lives around the globe, and now they even have a chance to save them. But only if they are willing to put aside (yet again) their promise of safeguarding data and throw out all the hard work of trying to prove this is the case in recent years.

Big Tech is facing a hard dilemma as these changes in privacy will be difficult to regain once things are back to normal.

For Doctors, the true heroes, things are made simple by the Hippocratic Oath they all took- their priority is to save lives. But for these tech giants, who are under scrutiny for engaging in immoral behavior to win market share, gain new markets, and benefit their top and bottom lines by taking advantage of their users' information, their equation is everything but black and white. They have the capabilities to help lead the world out of a crisis, and they've given the chance to help improve their image. The only question is, will they take it?

This article is not a press release and is contributed by Ivana Popovic who is a verified independent journalist for IAMNewswire. It should not be construed as investment advice at any time please read the full disclosure . Ivana Popovic does not hold any position in the mentioned companies. Press Releases – If you are looking for full Press release distribution contact: press@iamnewswire.com Contributors – IAM Newswire accepts pitches. If you're interested in becoming an IAM journalist contact: contributors@iamnewswire.com Questions about this release can be send to ivana@iamnewswire.com

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