Democratic Lawmakers to Google: Stop Collecting Location Data That Imperils Abortion Seekers

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More than 40 Democratic members of Congress, led by Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR), sent a letter to Sundar Pichai, the CEO of Google parent Alphabet Inc., asking him to stop what they see as Google’s unnecessary collection and retention of people’s location data. They argue that anti-choice actors could use the information to identify women seeking abortions.

The lawmakers expressed concern that if abortion were to become illegal in the U.S., the company’s “current practice of collecting and retaining extensive records of cell phone location data will allow it to become a tool for far-right extremists looking to crack down on people seeking reproductive health care.” But to date, tech companies have tried mainly to stay out of the impending repeal of reproductive healthcare rights that will be ushered in when the Supreme Court overturns its landmark Roe v. Wade decision. (Barbara Ortutay / Associated Press)

Related: Wyden.Senate, The Conversation, Wired, …