Tech

Lawmakers demand that Google stop directing people seeking abortion to anti-abortion websites


A group of Democratic lawmakers led by Senator Mark Warner (D-Va.) and Representative Elissa Slotkin are urge Google to “crawl for manipulative search results” that lead people wanting abortions to anti-abortion clinics. In a letter to Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai, lawmakers references a study conducted by the nonprofit group Center Against Digital Hate (CCDH). Organization Find 1 in 10 Google search results for queries like “abortion clinic near me” and “abortion pill” – specifically in states with trigger laws banning the procedure at the time of Roe v. Wade exposed – points out crisis pregnancy centers opposed to surrogacy abortion.

“Directing women to fake clinics that misinform and fail to provide comprehensive medical services endangers women’s health and undermines the integrity of outcomes,” the lawmakers wrote. Google search results”. CCDH also found that 37 percent of results on Google Maps for the same search term lead people to anti-abortion clinics. The lawmakers argued in the letter that Google shouldn’t show those results to users searching for abortions and that if the company’s search results are to continue to show them, they should at least be appropriately labeled.

Additionally, CCDH found that 28 percent of the ads shown at the top of Google search results were for crisis pregnancy centers. The lawmakers noted that Google added a disclaimer for those ads, “even though an ad appeared in a small font and was easily missed,” the lawmakers noted, after recognized them a few years ago. “The prevalence of these misleading ads marks what appears to be a reversal of Google’s commitment in 2014 to remove ads from crisis pregnancy centers involved in the publicly deceiving women seeking abortion information online,” the letter read.

Warner, Slotkin, and the other signatories to the letter are asking what Google plans to do to limit the appearance of anti-abortion clinics when users are explicitly searching for abortion services. And, if Google chooses not to take action to prevent them from appearing in the results, the team will ask if Google will add a user-friendly disclaimer to clarify whether the clinic offers abortions. or not. You can read the full letter below:

A Supreme Court draft obtained by Politico in May shows that SCOTUS judges voted to overturn the Roe v. Wade case, the landmark case defending federal abortion rights across the country. country. Senator Ron Wyden and 41 other former Democratic lawmakers also ask Google to stop collecting and retaining user location data. They said the information could be used against people who have or are seeking abortions in states with triggering laws.

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