Google will immediately delete information about users who visit abortion centers or other locations that could cause legal problems, now that the U.S. Supreme Court allows states to prohibit the termination of pregnancies.
In a blog post on Friday, the company that developed the dominant internet search engine and Android software that powers most smartphones around the globe outlined new privacy protections.
Google will automatically delete visits to abortion clinics. However, it also listed counseling centers, fertility centres, addiction treatment facilities and weight loss clinics as destinations that will be removed from the users’ location histories. Google will now proactively protect users’ location histories. Users can edit their history at any time, although they have had the option to do so previously.
Jen Fitzpatrick (a senior vice president at Google), wrote that Google is committed to providing strong privacy protections for users of its products.
This pledge is made amid increasing pressure from Google and other Big Tech companies for them to do more to protect the sensitive personal data stored through their digital services and products against government authorities and any other outsiders.
Recent decisions by the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling, which legalized abortion, prompted calls for stricter privacy controls. This reversal could make abortion illegal across more than 12 states. It raises the possibility that information about location, searches, and emails of people could be used to prosecute abortion procedures, or for miscarriage medical care.
Google receives thousands of government requests each year for digital records of users as part of its misconduct investigations, just like other tech companies. Google claims it opposes search warrants and any other requests that appear excessively broad or baseless.
