Author: David Cox
Publisher: The BMJ
Publication Year: 2022
Summary: The following article discusses how earlier this year, the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, a 1973 landmark case that legally established the right to abortion. Privacy concerns that have arisen from the reversal of this decision are explored, and how this is making “women vulnerable to criminal prosecution.” It highlights the case of prosecutors using private data from Meta (Facebook’s parent company) as evidence in an illegal abortion case involving a teenager. The article goes on to explain how cases like these bring up ethical concerns regarding companies/apps collecting personal data and potentially using it as legal evidence. Popular “femtech” apps like Flo (a period tracker app) also collect personal data, but have added anonymous/privacy-oriented features to protect users’ identities. However, it is unclear whether such measures have any real impact on users’ security, making these apps (and, consequently, the users) vulnerable to being exploited by those wanting to obtain information related to an individual’s reproductive history.