US anti-abortion moves are raising concern that women seeking an abortion could be tracked from their internet search histories or location data
Digital tracking could be used to see if a person has accessed medical services, contacted a reproductive helpline, or purchased certain medications. Picture: TOMOHIRO OHSUMI/GETTY IMAGESFor many women seeking an abortion in the Philippines, an outright ban means the internet is their only source of help. But since the US Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade, activists fear some could be too scared to type in “abortion”.
“They go online for support and advice as abortion is so stigmatised and dangerous in this country ... They want to do it in a secure manner,” Padilla, who urges local police not to prosecute women for abortions during gender sensitivity training, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. But many countries do not have such legislation, and the anti-abortion shift in the US has also fuelled debate around the world about the safety of mobile health apps, which are often used to track fertility.
Sheroes, the company that owns the app, did not respond to a request for comment on whether it had changed its policy. This is worrying, she added, because there have been several large breaches of the reproductive health data of millions of women held by federal and state agencies in India recently.
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