Google Urged By Lawmakers To Halt Collecting Info Of Women Seeking Abortions

In an open letter to Google CEO Sundar Pichai, a group of 42 lawmakers petitioned for the technology giant to halt its collection and storage of users’ location data, with fears that the information could be use to identify and prosecute women seeking abortions. 

“We believe that abortion is health care. We will fight tooth and nail to ensure that it remains recognized as a fundamental right, and that all people in the United States have control over their own bodies,” read the letter. 

“That said, we are concerned that, in a world in which abortion could be made illegal, Google’s current practice of collecting and retaining extensive records of cell phone location data will allow it to become a tool for far-right extremists looking to crack down on people seeking reproductive health care,” it said. 

Additionally, the lawmakers said that Google has a track record of sharing such information with government agencies, which could allow law enforcement to obtain warrants to access women’s location records in hopes of prosecuting them. 

While, according to the letter, the most detailed information Google receives comes from Android smartphones, iPhone users’ data can also be collected when they use the Google Maps app, putting nearly all smartphone users at risk of having their information exposed. 

“To that end, we urge you to promptly reform your data collection and retention practices, so that Google no longer collects unnecessary customer location data nor retains any non-aggregate location data about individual customers, whether in identifiable or anonymized form,” concluded the letter. 

[via CNET and Congress of the United States, cover image via Libux77 | Dreamstime.com]