New US Abortion Landscape Raises Worst Digital Privacy Fears

Abortion-rights activists are warning of the consequences of weak digital privacy protections in a post-Dobbs landscape. Even before the decision, law enforcement had been honing tactics that could now be used against people seeking an abortion in states where it’s banned—or beyond.

● Web Searches

Academics have found that searches for abortion pills have skyrocketed since the Dobbs ruling. Such data could be tempting to law enforcement, whose requests for records from Google have been rising steadily. Search queries have already played into prosecutions, as in a 2018 Mississippi murder case against a woman who delivered a stillborn baby. ...