Technology and Abortion:

Is your phone a threat to safe, private access?

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May 31, 2022

Thank you to my friend, Hollis for joining forces with me and helping me put together this guideline on the intersection of technology and abortion, and how to keep yourself safe.

In Gratitude,

Sabia

Technology and Abortion:
Is your phone a threat to safe, private access?

The intersection of technology and abortion is a crucial component of navigating safe and proper care. Our smartphones know more about us than we’d care to admit, yet we don’t always take the precautions seriously, or know what precautions to take.

Our devices know our location, our likes and dislikes, our shopping patterns, our sleeping patterns, movement patterns, and sometimes, even fertility patterns, if you utilize a fertility tracker such as Flo (read on for more information). But there are precautions you can take, such as double checking your privacy settings on your phone, opting out of personalized ads, and disabling that location sharing option within all of your apps. We’ve collected information that can help you to begin stay safe while exploring abortion options and help you understand how your safety is as risk.navigating this crucial component of abortion care.

Why is it important to keep your abortion research private?

Regardless of what state you live in, your digital footprint provides the necessary cookie crumbs for those seeking to prevent, or even criminalize, you for seeking an abortion, as seen with Purvi Patel’s case in 2015. Patel was sentenced to 20 years in prison for feticide and neglect of a dependent. Records in the case revealed that she ordered abortion pills from overseas as well as text exchanges she shared with a friend. With Roe set to be overturned, we have a guarantee of instant criminalization of abortion in 13 states across the US. It is imperative that we consider the criminal implications and what steps need to be taken to remain safe.

In fact, documents reveal that phone companies are selling the data of individuals who visit abortion clinics (are we surprised?). When utilizing technology during the process, opt for encrypted data search engines and communication devices to prevent your data from being used against you in court.

Digital Defense Fund shares the following privacy concerns to consider when researching an abortion online:

You could be served advertisements related to pregnancy/abortion
Tech companies like Facebook and Google store information about your browsing history for pregnancy and abortion-related content
Content of texts can be seen by the person paying your phone bill
Anyone with access to your phone can see your messages or browsing history
The phone company keeps copies of your browsing history and texts

How to protect your privacy when researching abortion online:

1. Use a VPN service

Eff.org shares that a VPN can help you hide your location and circumvent local internet censorship.

2. Protect your privacy when texting and emailing

Encrypted messaging apps like Signal can help users avoid surveillance. Signal provides end-to-end encryption, so messages can only be viewed by the intended recipient.

You can also use code words when talking with other people through text to hide your communications in plain sight.

For emailing, opt for a server such as Proton Mail, which provides a secure and encrypted userface.

3. Get an anonymized credit card

If you are able to access an anonymized credit card, it can help you keep financial transactions related to your abortion private and separate from your day-to-day transactions, which might be visible by other people in your life.

4. Turn off location services on your phone

When you are about to go somewhere sensitive, turn the location services off on your phone to prevent your location from being tracked later.

5. Remove sensitive photos and data from your main device

To protect your privacy, backup your device to a hard drive (not the cloud) and remove any images or other sensitive data from being stored on your main device.

6. Take precautions with your web browsers

Eff.org also suggests you compartmentalize your data by using different browsers when researching and communicating about abortion care. Mobile browsers like Firefox Focus won’t sell your data to third parties.

For an extra layer of safety, consider using a Tor browser, which hides your location and activity and makes it nearly impossible to trace back to you, especially in conjunction with a VPN.

7. Never reuse the same password

Reusing the same password on the devices, browsers, and apps in which you research and communicate about abortion puts your information at risk. Anyone with the password for your other accounts will easily be able to access these apps as well.

8. Never use Google

Although Google has an incognito version, it’s not entirely safe. Instead, opt for private search engines like DuckDuckGo. Note that not all search engines are created equal, and DuckDuckGo may match your search about abortion to misleading “pregnancy crisis centers.” Use caution and discernment when searching with Google alternatives.

9. Use a secure video conferencing service

A safer, more secure alternative to Zoom is Jisti Meet which, like Signal, offers end-to-end encryption for video conferencing.

10. Change your period tracker

Period trackers have also increased in popularity over recent years, claiming to help track fertility, and in some cases, assist in the identification of fertility challenges. There are many fertility apps out there, which can be even more confusing - this article from Consumer Reports breaks down the privacy settings of 5 of the most popular ones. The accuracy of these apps is heavily dependent on the users consistency and accuracy, and often does not result in preventing pregnancy.

So, if you are using a period tracking app to prevent pregnancy, and the app then tracks that you ARE in fact pregnant, the data is there and may be shared. If you then, decided to explore an abortion, there is a data trail that can be tracked directly back to you with very personal information.

Additional resources:

Navigating the landscape of abortion is already emotional and harrowing enough without these additional considerations. But, doing your research (on an encrypted browser!) and making conscious decisions regarding the who, what, where, when, why, and how’s of communication and action is super crucial.

For help navigating these spaces, you can contact the Miscarriage + Abortion Hotline or find an abortion doula (some resources listed below). We’ve also listed a bunch of resources if you feel like digging deeper (but this might be a good time to start using that encrypted browser).

Resources for Abortion Doulas:

https://www.badt.directory/
https://abortionfunds.org/keyword/abortion-doula/
https://www.rightbyyou.org/ (Missouri Teens)
https://www.doulaproject.net/ (New York)
https://mountainaccessbrigade.org/ (Tennessee)
https://asacredpassing.org/

Resources for anyone:

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