could ban abortion

in large parts of the country.

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

if you do decide to have an abortion

in an area where it's criminalized.

First of all, your phone is a major tracker

of personal information.

It records a huge volume of data,

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

becomes criminalized, experts say

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,

that's because it is.

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.

Not only that; privacy experts warn

that law enforcement could actually sidestep the need

for a warrant by going directly to private companies.

So how would that work?

In case you didn't know, data brokers

have been collecting your personal information for years,

and they sell that data for a fee.

Experts say there is actually precedent

for law enforcement using data brokers

to sidestep the Fourth Amendment.

By issuing a broad subpoena or buying information in bulk,

law enforcement could crack down

on a large number of people at once.

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

part of your digital footprint,

to find everyone who had visited a clinic.

That information becomes even more revealing

when it's combined with health data.

This is yet another reason

why you should check the privacy policy

of your period tracking app if you use one.

That's because experts warn

these apps can actually identify if you're pregnant

before you know it yourself.

And yes, government officials in this country

have actually charted people's periods

to determine if they were pregnant.

And know HIPAA,

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

to keep your data secure and private,

and HIPAA does not really apply here.

Basically, your vulnerability and privacy is in the hands

of the companies that develop these software apps.

That's why some privacy advocates call

for pressuring these companies directly

to keep your data private and safe.

There are still ways to protect yourself,

but relying on the government

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