New Google Maps tools aim to help combat opioid addiction

Google Maps‘ newest feature might just save your life. 

In recognition of National Recovery Month, the tech giant Google has released two new map-related tools aimed at both aiding those in recovery from drug addition and helping to make the life-saving drug Naloxone more accessible. Essentially, it looks like Google is doing something good. 

The centerpiece of the company’s effort is a new website, Recover Together, which seeks to centralize resources for those looking to overcome addiction. Part of that site includes two specific Google Maps features: the so-called Recovery Locator Tool and the Naloxone Locator Tool.

The former, as the name would suggest, is a Google Maps page specifically designed to help individuals find recovery resources near them. The latter is a Google Maps page that aims to assist those looking to acquire Naloxone — a drug that can reverse overdoses. 

“People come to Google every day to seek information on addiction and recovery,” reads the Google press release announcing the new tools. “[In] fact, just last month, we saw an all-time high in search interest for ‘rehab near me,’ ‘addiction treatment near me,’ and ‘how to help an addict.'”

This latest effort aims to assist those very people.

Now, importantly, because this is Google we’re talking about, we would be remiss not to highlight potential privacy concerns associated with the Recover Together site. 

We reached out to the company with questions regarding how use of the above tools will be tracked, and if any use will be tied to specific Google accounts or used for advertising. Thankfully, Google assured us that visits to this website would not be associated with any specific Google accounts. Page views will be measured, but anonymized and only in the aggregate. What’s more, the company claims it will not use Naloxone-related searches to target ads. 

So that’s good. Even so, it’s still worth remembering that privacy and online don’t really mix. These days, privacy should be expected in the doctor’s office but not on the internet (keep Tor as your friend). 

The New York Times reports that, as of 2016, drug overdose was the leading cause of death for Americans under the age of 50. Clearly opioid addiction is a national crisis — one that hopefully, if even in the smallest sense, this latest effort from Google helps to mitigate.