A group of Democratic lawmakers in the United States has urged Google to stop collecting smartphone location data that could be used to track down women who have opted for abortions. This action comes amid growing concerns that the US Supreme Court would reverse the historic Roe v. Wade decision.
The 1973 decision gave women across the United States access to abortion.
More than 40 lawmakers have signed a letter to Google CEO Sundar Pichai urging him to stop gathering data. Senators Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders, as well as Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, signed the letter.
“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,” said the letter, which was published online.
“That’s because Google stores historical location information about hundreds of millions of smartphone users, which it routinely shares with government agencies.”
According to AFP, polls suggest that the majority of Americans support some type of abortion access.
Abortion rights
However, the right-wing of American politics has been pushing to limit abortion rights. Republican-controlled states have taken moves in this direction.
“If this decision becomes final, the consequences will be dire,” the lawmakers also said.
“Republicans in Congress are already discussing passing a law criminalizing abortion in all 50 states, putting the government in control of women’s bodies.”
In their letter, the lawmakers urged Google to stop collecting location data from smartphones. Prosecutors might use it looking to track down women who have attended abortion clinics.
According to the letter, Google often obtains court orders requiring it to disclose user location data, including “geofence” orders. They demand data about everyone who was near a specific location at a specific time.
“If abortion is made illegal by the far-right Supreme Court and Republican lawmakers, it is inevitable that right-wing prosecutors will obtain legal warrants to hunt down, prosecute, and jail women for obtaining critical reproductive health care,” the letter then said.