With Republicans and a Supreme Court made up of an accused rapist, an accused sexual abuser, the husband of someone who may have encouraged people involved with the 1/6 coup (technically those last two are the same person), and a self-described Handmaid (yes, really), a fascist interpretation of Roe v. Wade is coming. This will strip women and people who can get pregnant of their right to own their own body.
It will also make some apps you may have been using to track your cycle downright dangerous.
Roe v. Wade is largely about privacy. Bodily autonomy protections for women came through the notion that a person has a right to privacy, guaranteed by the constitution. With the right to an abortion taken away alongside any premise of privacy in healthcare, apps that help people track their menstrual cycle and apps that track your location could result in a death sentence. So how can you stay safe when the government claims ownership of your body?
You can’t. But you can at least make it a bit harder for them to get to you.
Period Tracking Apps
Period tracking apps are helpful, for sure, but they have always opened a view into your private life. Thanks to predictive data, giving them your information now could help predict your cycles in the future. Depending on the ones you’re using, they may provide privacy, while others may be less secure.
However, if any data is stored on a server, the government could subpoena it from a company, or even your devices. If, for example, they’re investigating you for getting an abortion, a detailed record of your cycle could betray you. It could reveal when you were late, or how far along a fetus might be, all of which could stop you from getting an abortion or criminalize your healthcare.
If you’re using one to help start a family, avoid starting one, or just for your own knowledge, you could inadvertently give information to the very people looking to control your life.
It’s part of your body. It’s your health, it has been for years. But now it is something you’ll have to hide because the government may use that data against you.
Your best option is to ask these companies to delete your data and delete your account. Buy a physical pen and paper planner and keep track of your cycle there. Anything digital could betray you.
Location Tracking
It’s easy to see how location tracking could be a problem too. If you plan a trip to an abortion clinic, that record could be enough to tie you to a “crime.” But how can you protect yourself? The best way is to protect your privacy by using services that will look out for your privacy. Use a VPN to disguise your internet traffic and location. Use DuckDuckGo, a privacy-focused search engine. Use Firefox, a browser that blocks trackers and keeps tracking cookies from working on other websites. Install browser extensions like uBlock, to block ads that can track you. Of course, use private browsing mode as well, to delete your history. Only discuss your plans with trusted people through end to end encrypted services with no history of tracking users, like Signal. Choose what apps you use carefully. A weather app using your location for a forecast may also sell it. You could also choose to buy a burner phone with cash on a prepaid plan and don’t give them any of your personal information. Use this for all of your work with the abortion clinic, and never connect it to your home wifi or personal accounts.
These are all standard privacy practices, but they’ll protect your plans and help you plan and carry out your trip to a healthcare clinic that will respect your right to your own body.
Already, companies have been caught selling information containing who is visiting family planning and abortion clinics, even how long they were at the location. At least one company doing this, SafeGraph, has stopped doing this, but they weren’t alone.
Stay Vigilant.
You can find a fantastic guide to protecting and understanding your privacy over at Gizmodo. It also has a useful guide on how to protect your data during protests, which will likely also come in handy this year.
This isn’t going to be easy. There will be protests, angry articles, shouting matches, divided families, likely more than a few arrests, and a hard battle. But a staggering majority of Americans support bodily autonomy and the right to an abortion. In a few weeks or months, basic healthcare could become a crime, something transgender children in the U.S. are already very familiar with. Your data can be a weapon the government or forced birth vigilantes can use against you. Don’t make it easy for them.
Stay safe.
Sources and Further Reading:
- Joseph Cox, Motherboard
- Mack DeGeurin, Gizmodo
- Kate Kaye, Protocol
- Jason Lemon, Newsweek
- Andrew Stanton, Newsweek
- Rina Torchinsky, NPR
- Shoshana Wodinsky, Gizmodo