Here's what you need to know about online privacy in a post-Roe world.

A woman in Nebraska,, was charged with helping her teenage daughter terminate her pregnancy, investigators said on Facebook. }, new data concerns arose after obtaining two messages. Post RoeWorld Privacy.

Even before the U.S. Supreme Court overturned her Roe v. Wade decision in June, the large tech companies that collect users' personal information began to track and monitor it. We are facing new demands that limit the There are concerns that law enforcement and vigilante groups will use these data to attack those seeking or helping to obtain abortions.

Meta, which owns Facebook, said Tuesday it received a warrant from local law enforcement on June 7 demanding messages in the Nebraska lawsuit. The warrant "made no mention of abortion," the company added, adding that court documents at the time showed police were investigating "suspected illegal burning and burial of stillborn babies."

Read more: Facebook data

However, in early June, a mother and daughter were charged with one felony charge of removal, concealment, and abandonment of a body, and one count of the death of another. He was charged with only two misdemeanors of concealment and false reporting.

It was the first time prosecutors had added felony abortion-related charges against the mother after investigators reviewed her private Facebook messages about a month later.

History has repeatedly shown that whenever people's personal data is tracked and stored, there is always a risk of misuse or misuse. With the Supreme Court overturning the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion, the collected location data, text messages, search histories, emails, and seemingly innocuous menstruation and ovulation tracking apps have become It could be used to prosecute abortion seekers and medical referrals. Not only those who take care of miscarriages, but also those who help miscarriages.

"In the digital age, this decision paved the way for law enforcement and private bounty hunters to seek vast amounts of personal data from ordinary Americans," said the Center for Democracy. said Alexandra Reeve Givens, president and CEO of Technology is a Washington-based digital rights non-profit organization.

Why Facebook Flipped Messages.

} Facebook owner Meta said it had received a legal warrant from law enforcement for the case, but didn't mention the word "abortion." The company said its officials at the social media giant "constantly scrutinize requests from the government to ensure they are legally valid."

provided information to investigators in approximately 88% of the 59,996 cases that requested According to its transparency report. Mehta declined to say whether the response would have been different if the warrant had included the word "abortion."

Read more: Biden administration condemns Indiana's new abortion ban: 'devastating measure'

Problem not new

Recent sub-study Until this May, anyone could buy weekly data on clients of over 600 Planned Parenthood sites nationwide for as little as $160, according to the company. The file contained approximate patient addresses derived from where cell phones "slept" at night -- income bracket, hours spent in clinics, top places people visited before and after.

Trending Stories

Federal law, particularly HIPAA, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 protects privacy. Everything is possible. It will not be included in your medical files at the doctor's office, but it will not be included in information collected about you by third-party apps or technology companies. This is also true when apps that collect data share it with third parties who may misuse it.

In 2017, a black woman named Fisher of Lattice, Mississippi, was charged with second-degree murder after seeking medical care for her miscarriage.

"While being treated by medical staff, she was immediately treated for suspicion of having committed a crime," civil rights attorney and Ford Foundation Fellow Cynthia Conticook wrote in a 2020 paper. , “Monitoring Digital Abortion Diaries”. Fisher's "statements to nurses, medical records, and autopsy records of her unborn child have been turned over to local police to investigate whether she intentionally killed the unborn child," she wrote.

Fisher said she was charged with second-degree murder in 2018. Her conviction could lead to life imprisonment. The murder charges were later dismissed. Evidence against her included her online search history, including queries about how to induce a miscarriage and how to buy abortion pills online. Giving prosecutors "a window into [her] soul" to substantiate their popular theory that she did not want her fetus to survive," writes Conticook.

Read More: US Health Law Is Emergency Do you protect abortions? Here's what you need to know

Industry response

Despite announcing policies to protect its employees, how is the technology company working with law enforcement and government agencies to discourage anyone seeking or attempting to have an abortion when it is illegal?

In June, Democratic lawmakers told federal regulators against collecting personal data and selling it to third parties. I have asked Apple and Google to be investigated for misleading millions of mobile phone users by enabling

The following month, Google announced that following a Supreme Court ruling, it would automatically remove information about users who visited abortion clinics or other locations that could raise legal issues. did.

Government And law enforcement agencies can issue subpoenas data companies about users. In general, Big Tech policy suggests that companies comply with abortion-related data requests unless they consider them overly broad. For example, Meta points to its online transparency report, which states that it will "comply with government requests for user information only if we have a good faith belief that it is required by law."

Online rights advocates say that's not enough. For example, in the Nebraska case, if Meta's messages on his WhatsApp service were "end-to-end encrypted" in the way that they are protected by default, neither Meta nor law enforcement could read them. You couldn't.

“Meta should flip a switch and make end-to-end encryption the default for all private messages, including Facebook and Instagram. ," said Caitlin Seeley-George, campaign and managing director of the nonprofit Fight for the Future.

Read More Do US medical laws protect emergency abortions?

User Burden

Unless all data is securely encrypted, there is always the possibility that someone somewhere can access it. Abortion rights activists therefore suggest that people in states where abortion is prohibited should restrict the creation of such data in the first place.

For example, when seeking reproductive health care, we recommend turning off location services on your phone or leaving your phone at home. For safety's sake, they say it's a good idea to read the privacy policy of any health app you're using.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation recommends using a more privacy-friendly web browser such as Brave, Firefox, or DuckDuckGo, but also recommends double-checking your privacy settings.

Turn off advertising identifiers on both Apple and Android phones so advertisers can't track you There is also a way to This is generally a good idea in any case. Apple asks if you want to be tracked each time you download a new app. For apps that are already installed, you can manually turn off tracking.

© 2022 The Canadian Press