Name: Roe v. Wade been overturned. Here's how your phone could spy on you if you try to get an abortion.
Uploaded: 2023-07-18T00:04:52.000Z
Duration: 3 min
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So-called trigger laws already passed in 13 states

Here's how your smartphone could be used to prosecute you

First of all, your phone is a major tracker

your browsing information, location data,

and payment history, that, taken together,

can reveal your most intimate activities,

such as how many times you go to the bathroom.

If a basic activity like reproductive healthcare

courts could then issue a warrant for your device,

which would then reveal all of that personal information.

If this all sounds a little too dystopian,

Even with Roe intact, digital footprints have been used

against people seeking to terminate pregnancies.

Imagine a situation where a pregnant person is admitted

to the hospital for treatment for a miscarriage.

That person's phone could then be placed under surveillance

under suspicion of having tried to induce that miscarriage.

that law enforcement could actually sidestep the need

for a warrant by going directly to private companies.

have been collecting your personal information for years,

By issuing a broad subpoena or buying information in bulk,

For example, they could use geofence or other location data,

to find everyone who had visited a clinic.

That information becomes even more revealing

of your period tracking app if you use one.

these apps can actually identify if you're pregnant

And yes, government officials in this country

or the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act,

is not necessarily going to help you either.

It's important to note that apps have no obligation

Basically, your vulnerability and privacy is in the hands

of the companies that develop these software apps.

There are still ways to protect yourself,

or the tech industry to do so isn't one of them.