Google says it will delete location history for visits to abortion clinics after overturning of...

So either abortion clinic visits are illegal (and laws attempting to criminal nalize getting an abortion in another state are on dubious legal footing, at best) or they are not.

If the visit is illegal, deleting only this data (as compared to just deleting all location data as a matter of routine) is aiding and abetting.

If the visit is legal (by far the most likely circumstance) then this data is merely embarrassing. And if Google is deleting specific location data on the basis it could be embarrassing, then I will demand (with tongue VERY firmly in cheek) that they also delete strip club location history data.


But in all seriousness, they should just stop saving location history in the first place. I am exceptionally tired of our technological overlords deciding that I can either choose to give up all of my data with no recourse, or choose not to function in modern society.

LTC Eugene Chu As they should...
..."“Today, we’re announcing that if our systems identify that someone has visited one of these places, we will delete these entries from Location History soon after they visit,” wrote Jen Fitzpatrick, Google’s senior vice president of core systems and experiences, in a blog post.

Fitzpatrick noted that visits to places like counseling centers, domestic violence shelters, abortion clinics and fertility centers “can be particularly personal.” Google parent Alphabet owns highly popular devices and data services, including Android, Fitbit, Search and Google Maps. That’s become a greater concern since the Supreme Court ruling, because of uncertainty surrounding whether sensitive data could be used to target what is now potentially criminal activity.

Google’s post says, “Fitbit users who have chosen to track their menstrual cycles in the app can currently delete menstruation logs one at a time, and we will be rolling out updates that let users delete multiple logs at once.”

The decision from the nation’s highest court overturned nearly 50 years of legal precedent by reversing its original opinion that women have a constitutional right to an abortion. For weeks, Google and other tech companies have avoided answering questions from the media and legislators about their data storage and practices as well as how they will comply with potential law enforcement requests."...