Following the Supreme Court decision to allow individual states to ban abortion, Google will automatically remove information about users who visit abortion clinics, According to their blog, post.
Because this Supreme Court decision to overturn the 1973 Roe v. Wade could make abortion illegal in more than a dozen states, many are urging tech companies like Google to ensure the safety of their clients’ information.
CBS News, the fear is that people’s digital information — including texts, location history, searches, and emails — could be utilized against them in legal proceedings connected to abortion procedures or miscarriages.
Google stated that in addition to visits at abortion clinics Google listed counseling and fertility centers, addiction treatment centers, weight loss clinics, cosmetic surgery clinics and other locations that will be removed form users’ location histories.
Users have always had the option to edit their location histories on their own, but Google will proactively do it for them as an added level of protection.
According to the outlet Google receives every year thousands of government requests for digital records from users as part of misconduct investigations.
According to the company’s statement, they oppose search warrants and other demands that seem excessively broad or baseless.
“We’re committed to delivering robust privacy protections for people who use our products, and we will continue to look for new ways to strengthen and improve these protections,”Jen Fitzpatrick, Google Senior Vice President, wrote the blog post.