Bank of England turns to Google to shed light on economic trends

Source: Bank of England


They may not know it, but web users who type "unemployment", "estate agents" or "VAT" into Google are helping the Bank of England to gather information on the state of the British economy.
The central bank is turning to internet search data as it seeks to widen its understanding of unemployment, consumer spending and the housing market.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2011/jun/13/bank-of-england-google-searches