In this week’s newsletter: Calls to delete period tracking apps have gone viral in America – but the likes of Facebook and Apple have questions to answer on user privacy too
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On Friday, the US supreme court overturned Roe v Wade, the landmark 1973 decision which held that access to an abortion was a constitutionally guaranteed right. In 13 states with “trigger laws”, abortion was immediately – or will imminently be – outlawed. Others may follow.
As Americans grapple with the reality of the repeal, in one of just 11 countries around the world to have restricted access in the last three decades, the initial focus has been on how to continue to provide access to abortion – and how to guarantee the safety of women.
Abortion and civil rights advocates have warned that there are few federal regulations on what information is collected and retained by tech firms, making it easy for law enforcement officials to access incriminating data on location, internet searches and communication history.
Such data has already been used to prosecute people for miscarriages and pregnancy termination in states with strict abortion laws, including one case in which a woman’s online search for abortion pills was brought against her in court.
Experts are also encouraging individuals seeking abortions to use heightened data security practices, including encrypted communications and disabling location tracking. The Roe decision has highlighted a longstanding privacy crisis affecting users of the most commonly used tech services, said Imran Ahmed, chief executive officer of advocacy group the Center for Countering Digital Hate. Continue reading...
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