Privacy

Study reveals how the tech behemoth is using the motions sensors on phones to expand quake warnings to more countries.

Technology giant Google harnessed motion sensors on more than two billion mobile phones between 2021 and 2024 to detect earthquakes, and then sent automated warnings to millions of people in 98 countries. In an analysis of the data, released in Science today, Google’s scientists say that the technology captured more than 11,000 quakes and performed on par with standard seismometers. Earthquake researchers who were not involved with the experiment are impressed by the system’s performance, but argue that public officials would need access to more information about the proprietary technology before relying on it.