In A Novel Move, Google Will Delete US Users’ Location History If They Visit Abortion Clinics After Overturning Of Roe V Wade
With us using the internet 24*7, it is difficult to have virtual privacy. There are so many apps on our phones and other electronic devices that need access to our locations and phone history and we have no other option to give that access, too. But search engine giant Google has made a surprising announcement following the overturning of the Roe V Wade judgement. They have said that they will delete the location history of all those who visit abortion clinics to protect their privacy.
Google To Delete Location History
As per a report by NDTV, one of the senior vice presidents at Google, Jen Fitzpatrick, wrote in a blog post that if their systems identified that their users have visited abortion clinics, they will delete these location histories from their ends after the user’s visit ends. This is not just applicable to abortion clinics but also to domestic violence help centres, fertility centres, weight loss clinics, and addiction treatment facilities.
Several activists and politicians have reached out to Google and other search engines asking them to restrict the amount of private information they collect so that cannot be used by the law against them. Jen Fitzpatrick has also said that they inform their users every time they have to comply with the government’s regulations.
Also read: US Women Intend To Go On Sex Strike After Roe V Wade Overturning, Say “If I Have No Right To My Body, Men Don’t Either”
A group of Democratic lawmakers also wrote a letter to the CEO of Google, Sundar Pichai, asking him to stop the software from collecting the user’s location to stop this from being used against those who are seeking reproductive healthcare. This move will be implemented in a couple of weeks.
The Google team has decided to do this after the US Supreme Court decided to overturn the Roe V Wade decision that now makes abortion illegal in various states across the country. US women are condemning the move and have taken to the streets to stage protests against this ruling.
