Roe v. Wade Overturn Sparks Push For Stronger Privacy Protections
The Supreme Court’s decision to overturn(Opens in a new window) Roe v. Wade is sparking fears tech companies will be subpoenaed to handover data that'll be used to prosecute abortion seekers.
On Friday, four Democrat lawmakers responded to the court decision by demanding the FTC crack down on both Google and Apple for facilitating the “unrestrained collection” of people’s personal data through their smartphones.
“Technology companies must take immediate steps to limit the collection and retention of customer data so that they don’t become tools of persecution,” US Senator Ron Wyden (D-Oregon) said in a statement(Opens in a new window) on Friday.
Ending Roe v. Wade opens the door for over a dozen states across the US to soon criminalize abortion, as PCMag’s Chandra Steele wrote back in May. This means women who seek out the procedure, or anyone who aids them, could face investigation and prison time, depending on the local law.
Democrat lawmakers along with privacy advocates are now growing worried(Opens in a new window) prosecutors in these anti-abortion states will use subpoenas to demand tech companies help them identify which users have visited an abortion provider.
On Friday, four Democrat lawmakers including Wyden, senators Cory Booker (D-New Jersey), Elizabeth Warren (D-Massachusetts) and Representative Sara Jacobs (D-California) sent a letter(Opens in a new window) to the FTC, demanding it intervene by going after the data collection practices of both Google and Apple.
“These companies have failed to inform consumers of the privacy and security dangers involved in using those products. It is beyond time to bring an end to the privacy harms forced on consumers by these companies,” the lawmakers wrote.
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