CMU, Facebook launch survey to help track COVID-19 spread

PITTSBURGH — A link to a survey asking you to help track the spread of COVID-19 might start popping up at the top of your Facebook news feed.

The optional survey is run by Carnegie Mellon University’s Delphi Research Center and will help health researchers generate new insights on how to respond to the crisis, including heat maps of self-reported symptoms.

Using the results of the survey, health officials could learn which areas need resources and potentially when, where and how to reopen parts of society.

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The survey takes about three to five minutes to complete.

Facebook addressed privacy by saying the following:

“CMU Delphi Research won’t share individual survey responses with Facebook, and Facebook won’t share information about who you are with the researchers. To help them measure results while protecting your privacy, we’ll share a random ID number that CMU will send back to us when someone completes the survey. Then we’ll share a single statistic known as a weight value that doesn’t identify you but helps correct for any sample bias.”

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