Statistics generated by the website have been used in at least one research paper to study patterns of human travel in the United States.

does not have specific goals other than tracking currency movements, but many users like to collect interesting patterns of hits, called "bingos".

[13] In October 1999, when interviewed for The New York Times, Eskin commented on why the Secret Service has not bothered the webmaster over possible defacement of US currency: "They've got better things to do.

"[3] In April 2000, the site was investigated by the United States Secret Service, which informed Eskin that the selling of "Where's George?"

rubber stamps on the web site is considered "advertising" on United States currency, which is illegal under 18 U.S.C. § 475.

[2] At least one spokesperson for the US Secret Service has pointed out in print that marking US bills, even if not defacement, can still be illegal if it falls under "advertisement".

[16][17] This rule is to encourage natural circulation of the currency, and to prevent multiple fake hits from happening on any bill.

[18][further explanation needed] The "George Score" is a method of rating users based on how many bills they have entered, and by how many total hits they have had.

Wattsburg Gary, the user with the most bills entered (over 2 million entries per the Wheresgeorge database) has an official George Score of over 1,700 when refreshed, and often holds the #1 rank.

[19] While bulk entry is allowed, the site prohibits marking bills and depositing them into financial institutions.

The film aired on PBS member stations WTTW Chicago and WSIU-TV Carbondale, IL.

does not officially recognize the bills that travel the farthest or fastest, some have approached it as a semi-serious way to track patterns in the flow of American currency.

[22] Money flow displayed through Where's George was used in a 2006 research paper published by theoretical physicist Dirk Brockmann and his coworkers.

[23] Researchers found that 57% of the nearly half a million dollar bills studied traveled between 30 and 500 miles (48 and 805 km) over approximately nine months in the United States.

data have been used to attempt to predict the rapidity and pattern of projected spread of the 2009 swine flu pandemic.