Over 40 Democratic lawmakers have urged Google CEO Sundar Pichai to stop using its location data that keep unnecessary or non-aggregated location information that could be used against people who are seeking abortion care.
(Photo : FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP via Getty Images)
A photo shows the logo sign of Google at their stand ahead of the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos on May 22, 2022.
Geofence Warrants
The lawmakers sent a letter to the CEO amidst the controversial overturning of Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court (SC) case that guaranteed abortion as a federal right after a draft opinion published by Politico shows that the SC has voted to reverse the case.
It is worth noting that the court has not delivered its final ruling on the matter, however, the Chief Justice confirmed that the draft was authentic.
The possibility of abortion becoming illegal has sparked fears that search histories or location data could be used against people who want to get an abortion, especially for those who are seeking them in states where it is illegal.
With the support of Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Rep. Anna Eshoo, D-Calif., they expressed in the letter how Google's current practice of "collecting and retaining extensive records of cell phone location data" could help "far-right extremists" who want to crack down on people availing reproductive health care services.
They also claimed that Google keeps historical location information of many smartphone users and shares that data with government agencies.
The letter also detailed how Google received 11, 554 geofence warrants back in 2020, a court order that requires the tech giant to turn over data from users' location and time data.
However, CNBC noted that it is still unclear with many of those warrants have been responded to by Google.
"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 lawmakers wrote.
Democrats urged the company to protect its user's location data from government surveillance.
Read Also : Abortions Are Safe And Effective, Says Study, But The Quality Of Care Varies From State To State
Apple's Difference
As of now, abortion is still constitutionally protected in the U.S. But if the SC finally overturns the Roe v. Wade case, almost two dozen states will make abortion illegal, and as such concerns are raised about using citizens' digital footprints against people seeking abortion care.
The use of geofence warrants has been critical in identifying and arresting the Jan. 6 Capitol rioters and they have also been issued for bank robberies, break-ins, and other crimes. However, in March, a federal district court ruled that these warrants are unconstitutional.
The lawmakers highlighted Apple's difference from Google in the letter, saying that the former has not retained "invasive tracking databases" of their users' location. Democrats said that Google is creating a "digital divide" that makes privacy and security a privilege.
"Americans who can afford an iPhone have greater privacy from government surveillance of their movements than the tens of millions Americans using Android devices," the lawmakers said.
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Written by Joaquin Victor Tacla
