Tech

Google will start removing abortion clinic visits from users’ location history


Amid data privacy concerns overturned by Supreme Court Roe v. Wade, Google says it will remove abortion clinics and other facilities from users’ location history. Since the ruling, Google and other tech giants have largely about how they handle requests for data about users in abortion-related investigations. Privacy experts have flagged large amounts of data collected by Google and other platforms as ripe for abuse by law enforcement and anti-abortion groups.

In a new , Google states that it will attempt to remove locations from users’ location history “as soon as they visit”. The company is vague on how exactly these locations will be identified or how long the removal will take. The company says the same process will also apply to visits to other types of medical facilities.

“Some of the places people visit – these include medical facilities such as counseling centres, domestic violence shelters, abortion clinics, fertility centers, addiction treatment facilities, clinics weight loss, plastic surgery clinics and other places – can be exceptionally personal,” Google wrote. “We’re announcing today that if our system determines that someone has visited one of these locations, we’ll remove these entries from Location History shortly after they visited. “

The company also said that Fitbit will update its app so users can bulk remove their menstrual tracking information from the service. Other cycle tracking apps have also announced they will be adding and security features in recent days as concerns grow that cycle-tracking apps could become targets for law enforcement investigations.

Google also addressed concerns about widespread law enforcement requests for location data — an issue that lawmakers have company needs to deal with. The company reiterates existing policies, including its practice of notifying users when their data is requested, and pointing to transparency reports that track such needs. The company also claims it has a “long track record of pushing back against claims that are too broad” and said it will “continue to oppose claims that are too broad or legally objectionable.”

While the changes attempt to address some of the concerns raised by privacy experts and activists, they will not prevent the ability of users’ online or offline activities to be affected. may be used against them in an investigation involving abortion. For instance, Google doesn’t mention whether it removes abortion-related queries from users’ search history or YouTube accounts. Browsing history and other data are also shared regularly and other advertisers and data brokers still to get data about the user’s past whereabouts.

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