Reproductive Rights and Cyber Security
March 4, 2023
Manage Your Data - No One Else Will
Teammates,
Today many states have made abortion illegal or nearly so and prosecute those who seek abortions and those who assist. That can include medical professionals, pharmacists etc.
Yesterday I gave some guidance about using secure browsers, and keeping data off of apps and websites except for a couple I provided because the authorities in some states can access those data and use them to prosecute.
Recently, text messages between a mother and daughter were used as evidence for an anti abortion prosecution
I want to expand the data and references given yesterday about keeping your data secure when investigating reproductive health issues - especially abortion.
Any woman who needs a medical abortion needs to be able to get one and the medication.
Dutch site AidAccess, https://aidaccess.org/en/
They arrange a teleconference with a doctor and medication is shipped from India. Costs up to $150
Planned Parenthood
https://www.plannedparenthood.org/
Abortion Finder This site can also help you find grants for funding an abortion https://www.abortionfinder.org/
General Sexual Health - Bedsider.org
The Washington State Department of Health has a pretty good website to use for information - use an incognito browser it is https://doh.wa.gov/you-and-your-family/sexual-and-reproductive-health/abortion
WARNING: When searching online about reproductive health be very careful about how you browse for information. If you are in a state that has laws against abortion they may obtain your text messages, browsing history, and phone calls, data from apps to prosecute you or your healthcare providers even if they are out of state.
Consider this article first from the Digital Defense Fund on Abortion Related Cybersecurity. https://digitaldefensefund.org/ddf-guides/abortion-privacy
Use an incognito browser that does not track you
Do not go to a Crisis Pregnancy Center, they are NOT HIPPA COMPLIANT and will sell your personal information to people who will harass you
DO NOT USE APPS/WEBSITES TO TRACK MENSTRUAL CYCLES, again they are not necessarily HIPPA COMPLIANT AND CAN SELL YOUR DATA or provide it to authorities and use it to prosecute you or others.
Here is additional guidance - please be careful and share
Here is an ACLU podcast
From the Electronic Frontier Foundation, Surveillance Self-Defense: https://ssd.eff.org/en
Have a good weekend…Alan Unell