No tech for the abortion police
Bans Off Our Bodies protest, San Diego, May 14, 2022. Image courtesy of Jessica Medrano
LA Tech4Good is firmly against technology and data being used as instruments against reproductive rights.
We offer here some ways that data and technology are being weaponized for the anti-abortion agenda.
In full transparency, we’re still processing the likely overturn of Roe v. Wade, an affront to reproductive and women’s rights. Compiling a list that captures the intersection of data, technology, and abortion rights is the biggest, tiny step we can take away from inaction. We commit to dealing with these difficult emotions though finding other ways to be helpful.
Despite the bleak outlook suggested by this month’s Supreme Court leak, we do not accept this as the end of the story. Much of it takes place in the arena of public opinion and in the streets – not just behind the closed doors of the court – so let’s get busy! We’re highlighting six topics below.
Watch your searches! Glass image by Zdeněk Tobiáš from Pixabay
1. Tracking location data, social media posts and search histories
U.S. abortion war spotlights women's risk from online tracking: “A woman's digital footprint risks becoming a dangerous weapon in the escalating U.S. abortion wars, with experts urging women in the crossfire to leave less of a trace if Roe v. Wade falls.”
In A Post-Roe America, Googling "Abortion" Could Put You At Risk. Here’s How To Protect Yourself: “If you’re planning an abortion in certain states, the data on your smartphone could be used against you if you’re not careful.”
Spot On Period Tracker: A secure period tracker from Planned Parenthood that doesn’t sell or share user data.
2. Period tracking apps
How period tracking apps and data privacy fit into a post-Roe v. Wade climate: “Privacy experts are increasingly concerned about how data collected from period-tracking apps, among other applications, could potentially be used to penalize anyone seeking or considering an abortion.”
Do You Really Need to Worry About Your Period Tracking App in a Post-Roe World? “According to a Financial Times analysis, knowing someone is in her second trimester of pregnancy is worth about 220 times more than the average person’s data.”
The U.S. Is Tracking Migrant Girls' Periods to Stop Them From Getting Abortions: “So they can’t figure out where children separated from their parents are, but by God, they can keep track of teenage migrant girls' menstrual cycles.”
Image: EFF’s reproductive justice series
3. Digital protection tips
Digital Security and Privacy Tips for Those Involved in Abortion Access: Develop risk awareness and a routine of keeping your data private and secure with these helpful guidelines for your individual situation.
“I woke up from a dream this morning that a bunch of men in black robes had taken complete control of my body - telling me what I can and cannot do about ALL my life decisions!” –Carolyn Leighton, Founder, Women in Technology International
1867 US Supreme Court. Image: Alexander Gardner, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Surveillance camera and barbed wire. Image free for use under the Pixabay Content License
4. Data aspects of these policies
Dr. Joy Buolamwini, Algorithmic Justice League: “Reproductive surveillance is not new, but it is a lesser known manner in which communications and algorithmic tools can be used to target individuals.”
Senator: Overturning Roe Will 'Weaponize' Women's Data: “Sen. Ron Wyden said shady data practices put the 'lives and essential rights of women' at risk.”
Data Broker Is Selling Location Data of People Who Visit Abortion Clinics: It costs just over $160 to get a week's worth of data, , sold by SafeGraph, on where Planned Parenthood vistors came from, how long they stayed, and where they went afterwards.
Bans Off Our Bodies: Rallies for Abortion Rights on May 14, 2020
5. What does it all mean?
7 persistent claims about abortion, fact-checked: “For example: 6 in 10 U.S. adults (61%) say that abortion should be legal in most or all cases.”
Where Abortion Could Be Banned Without Roe v. Wade: “13 states would ban abortion immediately or very quickly.”
Medical education of abortion could be erased in red states: “Abortion care is very much intertwined with miscarriage management, with pregnancy care, with overall reproductive care.”
With Leak of the Roe v. Wade Draft Decision, “First time in history that we are restricting a right”: “The decision could prove devastating for the health and wellness of many women, challenge other precedents protecting civil rights, and change business practices.”
6. What we can do
Demonstrators gather at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta before marching to the Capitol. Abortion rights protests erupt in Georgia and beyond by by Ross Williams, Georgia Recorder
Hundreds of thousands of people turned out across the country – 20,000 in Washington DC alone – on Saturday March 14, 2022 in more than 370 rallies!
Talk with your friends and colleagues in safe spaces like DEI and women’s affinity groups and employee resource groups (ERGs)
Implement privacy recommendations from EFF, BuzzFeed and also Wired
Join our mailing list for future announcements of ways to take action
Bring data sets around pregnancy, abortion and women’s healthcare into your work where appropriate, so that responsible data can strongly support reproductive rights.
Switch to Planned Parenthood’s Spot On Period Tracker; remove all your data and then delete previous apps
Publish your own organizational statement (like this from Yelp CEO Jeremy Stoppelman)
Sign up for announcement of our summer data equity workshops to up your game with responsible data practices
About the authors
Karen Borchgrevink, LA Tech4Good Founder & Executive Director, was a beneficiary of 1970 Washington State abortion legalization (three years before Roe v. Wade) and O.G. abortion rights protestor, and contributor Jessica Medrano, LA Tech4Good Board Member, was a Roe v. Wade beneficiary.