After the revocation of the Roe vs. Wade ruling, a move allowing US states to ban abortion if they want to, Google announced the automatic deletion of location data when it concerns sensitive places.
On Friday July 1, 2022, Google announced that users’ location data would be automatically deleted when visiting a clinic specializing in abortions. “If our systems identify that a person has been to a (sensitive) establishment, we will delete those location history entries shortly after their visit”, said Jen Fitzpatrick, a vice president of the California group, in a blog post. Changes which, according to her, will come into effect in the coming weeks.
Google is taking the opportunity to extend these automatic deletions to other sensitive areas, such as fertility centers, addiction treatment centers, weight loss clinics or plastic surgery clinics. The firm also explains that it is committed to rejecting requests from law enforcement for user data. “We remain committed to protecting our users from inappropriate government requests for data, and we will continue to oppose requests that are overly broad or otherwise legally objectionable.”the statement said.
The company also plans to allow users of Fitbit products, which are sometimes used to track their menstrual cycles through the app, to delete multiple menstruation logs. Currently, it is only possible to delete them one by one. Not so trivial news, as experts have warned that data collected from fertility apps, or even simple Google searches, could be used by authorities to track down illegal abortion.
Google announced the changes about a week after the US Supreme Court overturned the 1973 Roe vs. Wade ruling, effectively allowing US states that wish to do so to ban abortion. A dozen would already consider the ban, and to sanction health professionals practicing abortion as well as patients. Many tech companies have also announced new measures to protect the data of their users.