Google is planning to delete visits made in a user’s location history to abortion clinics, domestic violence shelters, and weight loss clinics. The system will identify the locations visited and then delete them as they take place. This system change is happening because the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and many states have made it illegal to get an abortion.
You can turn off Google’s location logging by following its instructions.
Google mentions their update for Fitbit that will allow you to delete multiple menstruation logs at once, if you have been using the health tracker.
Google has updated its privacy policy to ensure that it will anonymize data on any patients seeking care, but it will also make available more data about your search and YouTube history when law enforcement asks for it.
Google has a policy in place to notify users when their data is shared with the government in some cases, and will only do so in cases where it’s legally permissible.
Data privacy concerns around abortion go beyond Google: official medical records aren’t as private as many of us assume, and everything from text messages and purchase records could be used against you in court. For more information, you can read our article on the privacy risks people seeking care may now face.
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