Contrary to belief, COVID-19-related GPS movement data are owned by private companies and collected in groups, meaning the published data is not specific to an individual. 

University of Pittsburgh

Most research is used to understand overall human movement. In other words, only a few individual-level studies that incorporate individual behavior and specific movement patterns are available. One cannot analyze individual movements to symptoms, testing, or individual reasons for (non)compliance to COVID-19 protocols.

COVID-19 Symptom Monitoring and Social Distancing in a University Population

Wojtusiak, J., Bagchi, P., Naren, S. S. K. R. T., Mobahi, H., Nia, R. M., & Roess, A. (2021). COVID-19 Symptom Monitoring and Social Distancing in a University Population. Journal of Healthcare Informatics Research, 5(1), 114-131. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41666-020-00089-x

COVID-19 Symptom Monitoring and Social Distancing in a University Population Reference

COVID-19 GPS Monitoring Misconception

Initial data collection started March 22, 2020, during which universities began responding to the pandemic. On May 5, 2020, geolocation data started for a select number of participants who provided informed consent. 

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