Tech companies in spotlight as US abortion ruling sparks privacy threat

theguardian.com:

In the wake of the US supreme court’s decision to end women’s constitutional right to abortion, some tech companies are moving to close loopholes that allow personal data brokers to monitor and sell information amid fears that mobile apps could be used by US states to police abortion restrictions.

Google’s parent company, Alphabet, said on Friday it would automatically delete records of user visits to sensitive locations, including abortion clinics. Privacy researchers as well as women’s rights groups welcomed the move, having warned that apps used for period tracking, pregnancy and family planning could be used to prosecute those seeking reproductive care.

The “location history” feature on Google’s Android services is typically turned off, the company said. But even if it is active, the company will now delete history of visits to places that many people would prefer to keep private.

“Some of the places people visit – including medical facilities like counseling centers, domestic violence shelters, abortion clinics, fertility centers, addiction treatment facilities, weight loss clinics, cosmetic surgery clinics, and others – can be particularly personal,” Google said in a post on its website.

“If our systems identify that someone has visited one of these places, we will delete these entries from Location History soon after they visit.”

Among other changes is an update to Fitbit software on wearable devices that allows users to track their periods. Users will now have an ability to delete those logs.

Google did not say the policy change was in response to the decision to reverse the supreme court landmark Roe v Wade ruling, which in 1973 established nationwide abortion rights. But privacy experts have warned that should some