Google developing coronavirus website

Google said on Saturday that it was working with the US government to develop a nationwide website that would help Americans with questions about the coronavirus.
“We are fully aligned and continue to work with the U.S. government to contain the spread of COVID-19, inform citizens, and protect the health of our communities”, the company tweeted.
US president Donald Trump said that 1,700 engineers were working on the website. The shares of Alphabet, Google’s parent company, closed up more than 9% after Trump’s announcement.
Trump also invoked the Defense Production Act of 1950 to steer industrial output and overcome shortages of face masks, ventilators and other supplies as hospitals brace for an expected onslaught of cases.
Alphabet’s cooperation with the Trump administration comes as the company faces antitrust investigations over its digital advertising businesses. Trump has also accused Google of skewing its search results to portray him negatively.
However, on Tuesday afternoon, some of the pilot testing sites in California staffers started dismantling the operation, and private security guards in face masks were reportedly seen monitoring the entrance.
On Wednesday, five Democratic senators asked Google in a letter to address serious privacy and data-collection concerns over launching a public coronavirus screening website. They also requested detailed information on how the company would use the personal data submitted through the screening website.