Facebook has sparked outrage and raised concerns by cooperating with US police by sharing messages involved in a case of teenage abortion in Nebraska. The company claims that the data could be used to restrict access to medical procedures.
Facebook faces backlash for sharing data
The detective found Facebook messages suggesting Jessica Burgess had obtained abortion pills for her then-17-year-old daughter. She also told her how to take them. Both have pleaded not guilty, the paper reports. Meta, Facebook’s parent company, said it didn’t realize it was helping enforce Nebraska’s abortion law.
Criticisms increased after news reports showed that the firm handed over the texts of the woman to law enforcement agencies. Furthermore, this unfolded legal drama that raises fresh concerns about how extensive data collection by tech companies could aid prosecutors seeking to enforce new abortion restrictions.
Shane Ferro, a defense lawyer, and writer reacted to the news in a tweet. She said, “while Facebook will comply with search warrants, people can demand increased privacy laws from their government.” “There are two ways out of the situation: the government can legalize abortion or it can pass privacy laws to stop Facebook from saving and keeping private message data,” she added.
Any data they provide online or offline could be sought by law enforcement
After the Supreme Court eliminated national abortion protections in June, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), a San Francisco-based digital rights advocacy group, issued a statement. It advised people involved in abortions to “assume that any data they provide online or offline could be sought by law enforcement.”
“People should carefully review privacy settings on the services they use. They must turn off location services on apps that don’t need them, and use encrypted messaging services,” the EFF said.
Meta defends itself
Facebook owner Meta, however, defended itself. It argued that the Nebraska court order didn’t mention “abortion” at all. It further clarified that it was issued before the Supreme Court’s decision on Roe v Wade. The firm also pointed to its privacy policy. There is a clause granting government demands whenever it is required and when queried about handing over the data.
Alexandra Given, CEO of the Centre for Democracy and Technology, said, “This is going to keep happening to companies that have vast amounts of data about people across the country and around the world.” She added, “there are many reasons that compel businesses to cooperate with legal requests and should insist on specific and full legal processes.”