the centers for disease control and prevention collaborated with google and launched google flu trends in 2008, a website that tracks flu-related searches and user location to track the spread of the flu. users can visit the website to compare the amount of flu-related search activity against the reported numbers of flu outbreaks on a graphic map. the difficulty with this method of tracking is that google searched are sometimes performed due to curiosity rather than because an individual is suffering from the flu. according to ashley fowlkes, an epidemiologist in the cdc influenza division, "the google flu trends system tries to account for that type of media bias by modeling search terms over time to see which ones remain stable". google flu trends is not longer publishing current flu estimates on the public website. visitors to the site can still view and download previous estimates. current data can be shared with verified researchers.