End of Roe v. calf
Abortion rights overturned: White House warns against using cycle apps
Cycle apps could become dangerous for women after the overturned right to abortion
© Nishat Ahmed / AP Photo / Picture Alliance
The White House warns against using cycle-tracking apps after the country’s abortion law was overturned in the United States. Information about pregnancies stored therein could be used for criminal prosecution.
About two weeks after the US Supreme Court ruled that overturned nationwide abortion rights, the White House has now advised citizens not to use apps that track their cycle. Even before the end of Roe v. Wade in the US had warned activists against using cycle apps because pregnancy information stored on them could be used for law enforcement, like the star reported. US citizens should be “very careful” with using such apps, “CNN” quotes the executive director of the “White House Gender Policy Council”, Jen Klein. The White House has published instructions on how to delete the apps from the phone.
Businesses react to end of abortion rights
According to CNN, the cycle app “Flo” with over 240 million users has already announced that it will introduce an anonymous mode in which users do not have to enter their name or email address. Apple and Google have already planned steps to protect sensitive health data online. While Apple plans to encrypt health data in iCloud with two-factor authentication, Google wants to automatically delete location data after visiting abortion clinics.
At the same time, it could become difficult for tech companies to refuse government requests for corresponding health data as long as they are compatible with applicable laws. A group of senators introduced a bill last month that would officially ban so-called data brokers, who collect user data online and sell it to third parties, from sharing health data. According to “CNN”, data protection experts see a danger for women who want to have an abortion, especially with these data brokers, since investigative authorities could get user data from them without first having to make a formal legal request.
