In the wake of the Roe V Wade reversal, prominent corporations have taken steps to continue to support killing unborn children, and Google is taking the most extreme steps by aiding in illegal abortion.
On Friday, the tech giant announced it would begin erasing the trip history in its Google Maps and other subsequent software for users who travel to abortion clinics.
In the wake of the Roe v. Wade reversal, Google is removing visits to abortion clinics from users’ location histories.https://t.co/6yvPAfKqrl
— Android Central (@androidcentral) July 3, 2022
The company behind the internet’s dominant search engine and the Android software that powers most of the world’s smartphones outlined the new privacy protections in a Friday blog post.
The notice stated, “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.”
It says, “Today, we’re announcing that if our systems identify that someone has visited one of these places, we will delete these entries from Location History soon after they visit.”
Google notes its commitment to stop government overreach, “We remain committed to protecting our users against improper government demands for data, and we will continue to oppose demands that are overly broad or otherwise legally objectionable.”
While privacy is good, and many of the locations mentioned are safer with such privacy, there is a problem. In many states after the Supreme Court ruling that ended Roe, abortions, except those required to save a mother’s life, are now prohibited by law. There is growing concern from users that records about people’s location, texts, searches, and emails could be used in prosecutions against abortion procedures or even for medical care sought in a miscarriage.
Google has now made a clear statement it will help to aid and abet those who willingly choose to break the law.
Google to Delete User Data on Trips to Abortion Clinics https://t.co/gInCruKX0r
— Asher Wolf (@Asher_Wolf) July 2, 2022
Google and other Big Tech companies have been pressured to do more to shield sensitive personal information through their digital services and products from government authorities and other outsiders.
