London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Jul 14, 2025

Want To Get Screened For Coronavirus By Verily? You’ll Need A Google Account For That.

Want To Get Screened For Coronavirus By Verily? You’ll Need A Google Account For That.

Privacy advocates are alarmed over the search giant’s new COVID-19 screening portal.
If you want to use Verily -a new testing portal for COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus -you’ll need a Google account.

This is a prerequisite for the site, which was touted by President Donald Trump as a major part of the nation’s response to the pandemic. Verily provides medical information and directs qualifying users to testing locations in several California counties. It’s a requirement that has alarmed privacy advocates, the latest stumbling block in Verily’s bizarre and troubled rollout.

“I am very concerned that Google is requiring the use of a Google account to obtain access to public health information,” Marc Rotenberg, president and executive director of the Electronic Privacy Information Center told BuzzFeed News. “It creates an obvious risk of tracking users. Google should not operate as a gatekeeper for critical public health information.”

Google did not return a request for comment.

Verily asks users screening questions, like their age and whether they have symptoms, and then directs users who might be sick to in-person testing sites. According to the Verily FAQ section, the company requires users to sign up for a Google account to collect answers to the survey, schedule testing, and deliver results - though it does not say why the account is needed. The site specifies that Verily will never connect the personal data generated by the COVID-19 screening to user data stored in other Google products without first receiving “explicit permission.”

Privacy joins a list of other issues the site has encountered since Trump announced it in a speech last Friday -a move that, according to Wired, took Google by surprise. The site, which Trump touted as the work of “1,700 engineers” and a significant portion of the national response, is actually a pilot program with no immediate plans for a national rollout. Media reports described a scramble within Google to get the site ready after the press conference. And in the first hours after its launch, Verily confused and disappointed users; it told people with symptoms of the virus that they weren’t eligible for testing, and it quickly ran out of appointments.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Google Secures Windsurf AI Coding Team in $2.4 Billion Licence Deal
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
South African Police Minister Suspended Amid Organised Crime Allegations
Nvidia CEO Claims Chinese Military Reluctance to Use US AI Technology
Hong Kong Advances Digital Asset Strategy to Address Economic Challenges
Australia Rules Out Pre‑commitment of Troops, Reinforces Defence Posture Amid US‑China Tensions
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
U.S. Resumes Deportations to Third Countries After Supreme Court Ruling
Excavation Begins at Site of Mass Grave for Children at Former Irish Institution
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
EU Delays Retaliatory Tariffs Amid New U.S. Threats on Imports
Trump Defends Attorney General Pam Bondi Amid Epstein Memo Backlash
Renault Shares Drop as CEO Luca de Meo Announces Departure Amid Reports of Move to Kering
Senior Aides for King Charles and Prince Harry Hold Secret Peace Summit
Anti‑Semitism ‘Normalised’ in Middle‑Class Britain, Says Commission Co‑Chair
King Charles Meets David Beckham at Chelsea Flower Show
If the Department is Really About Justice: Ghislaine Maxwell Should Be Freed Now
NYC Candidate Zohran Mamdani’s ‘Antifada’ Remarks Spark National Debate on Political Language and Economic Policy
President Trump Visits Flood-Ravaged Texas, Praises Community Strength and First Responders
From Mystery to Meltdown, Crisis Within the Trump Administration: Epstein Files Ignite A Deepening Rift at the Highest Levels of Government Reveals Chaos, Leaks, and Growing MAGA Backlash
Trump Slams Putin Over War Death Toll, Teases Major Russia Announcement
Reparations argument crushed
Rainmaker CEO Says Cloud Seeding Paused Before Deadly Texas Floods
A 92-year-old woman, who felt she doesn't belong in a nursing home, escaped the death-camp by climbing a gate nearly 8 ft tall
French Journalist Acquitted in Controversial Case Involving Brigitte Macron
Elon Musk’s xAI Targets $200 Billion Valuation in New Fundraising Round
Kraft Heinz Considers Splitting Off Grocery Division Amid Strategic Review
Trump Proposes Supplying Arms to Ukraine Through NATO Allies
EU Proposes New Tax on Large Companies to Boost Budget
Trump Imposes 35% Tariffs on Canadian Imports Amid Trade Tensions
Junior Doctors in the UK Prepare for Five-Day Strike Over Pay Disputes
US Opens First Rare Earth Mine in Over 70 Years in Wyoming
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
Bitcoin Reaches New Milestone of $116,000
Biden’s Doctor Pleads the Fifth to Avoid Self-Incrimination on President’s Medical Fitness
Grok Chatbot Faces International Backlash for Antisemitic Content
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
NVIDIA Achieves Historic Milestone as First Company Valued at $4 Trillion
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Linda Yaccarino Steps Down as CEO of X After Two Years
US Imposes New Tariffs on Brazilian Exports Amid Political Tensions
Azerbaijan and Armenia are on the brink of a historic peace deal.
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Weinstein Victim’s Lawyer Says MeToo Movement Still Strong
×