Seeking an abortion? Here's how to avoid leaving a digital trail. PASS ON. SHARE WIDELY.

[CousinIT]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/06/26/abortion-online-privacy/?tid=ss_tw

Everything you should do to keep your information safe, from incognito browsing to turning off location tracking


. . .

Here are the basic steps anyone can take to protect personal information when weighing an abortion.

Limit who you tell
Your biggest risk factor is other people. Many cases against people who had abortions start with people they’ve told who report them to law enforcement, according to Farah Diaz-Tello, senior counsel and legal director for If/When/How, a reproductive justice nonprofit.

. . .

Chat on a secure, encrypted messaging app
When you do discuss your situation, use private messaging apps that use encryption. Apple’s iMessage, Meta’s WhatsApp and Signal are all end-to-end encrypted by default, which means messages are obscured from everyone except the sender and receiver.

. . .

Protect your devices
Keep in mind that someone with access to your physical device could view your messages, whether or not they’re encrypted. Don’t turn your phone or laptop over to law enforcement without a warrant, privacy experts advise, and turn off biometric authentication such as Face or Touch ID if you’re worried about someone pressuring or forcing you to unlock them. Make sure your phone, tablet and computers all require a passcode or password to use them. Avoid wearing any health-tracking wearables while managing your health.

. . .

Browse the internet securely
There are two ways your browsing activity could put you at risk: someone seeing it on your device, and someone obtaining it from tech or ad-tech companies, said Eric Rescorla, chief technology officer at Firefox.

Always use incognito or private browsing mode on your browser to avoid leaving a trail on your own devices. When choosing a browser, go with Safari, Firefox or Brave, which all have robust privacy features. Make sure any options to prevent cross-site tracking are turned on, and instead of Google, use a search engine such as DuckDuckGo or Brave.

To minimize what is recorded about your browsing, use a VPN or Apple’s iCloud Private Relay, which acts like a more secure VPN. Avoid using third-party apps for searches. If you want an extra layer of protection, use Tor Browser, a tool for anonymous internet use that cloaks both your identity and your location, Rescorla said.

[MerryHolidays]

1. For goodness sakes...this is the ESSENCE OF PRIVACY

This Court is simply awful. And citing some monster from the 1200s as the basis for striking down Roe is beyond insane.

[Casady1]

15. Alito would fit

right in. He has dreams of being in the Spanish Inquisition.

[onecaliberal]

2. K&R

[Effete Snob]

3. Kind of ironic

Telling people to pass on a hyperlink to an article about how to avoid having a browser history that would suggest looking for abortion information.

PASS ON. SHARE WIDELY.

Limit who you tell

[usonian]

13. It applies more generally.

I delete cookies and history on mobile safari often. I also use private browsing a lot, and use an app on the mac (Privacy Scan) that deletes cookies and history from ALL browsers.

Happiness is (partly) NOT seeing "things you viewed recently" on shopping sites.

Why? Because history saved in cookies lets advertisers track me, lets. news sites limit my "free" views and more skullduggery than I can list (and still get today's chores done)

It's just good practice all around.

SHARE PRIVACY PRESERVING INFO WIDELY. (I shout it from the mountain top)
SHARE PERSONAL INFO WISELY.

HTH

[CaptainTruth]

32. Connect to a different VPN in a different country every time you click on a sensitive link.

Last edited Sun Jun 26, 2022, 10:20 PM - Edit history (1)

And of course, don't use just one VPN service.

It's a great way to hide your IP address, & as a bonus, if you're entering contests that limit entries to "one per day" you can enter as many times as you want if you enter from a different IP address (different VPN connection) every time (with your browser in incognito mode & close the window between entries for good measure).

A couple side notes:

1) A while ago I was working on a "project" & was logging on to various VPN servers around the world, including one in Ukraine. I was impressed that it stayed up for a couple weeks after Putin invaded, but I'll never forget the sad day it disappeared.

2) If you're American & you connect to any web site through a VPN server located in the EU, you will probably be surprised by what you see. The EU has much more strict data privacy laws than the US & when you connect from an EU IP address you're presented with menus & dialog boxes dealing with data privacy that you never see if you connect from a US IP address, because our laws don't require it. It's a good reason to always connect to the web through a VPN server located in the EU because you have much more data protection under EU law. It's also the reason why when I need an app for my phone I look for one from a developer located in the EU. Perhaps you've installed an app (I'm Android, not sure about Apple) & it tells you it needs access to your contacts, & your browsing history, & your bookmarks, & your camera, & your microphone & etc etc. Install an app from a company in the EU & you get none of that, because they legally cannot do it.

I hope this info is helpful to folks.

[dalton99a]

4. Kick

[SharonClark]

5. Excellent advice and horrifying that it is

even necessary.

[Effete Snob]

7. There are menstrual tracking apps

...which are widely used by women, who don't stop to consider "Why is this app free?"

The app is free because your data is sold to others.

There are going to be a few new purchasers of "menstrual app tracking data" in the near future, if there are not already.

Women download these things, click "agree", and then go tell a world of others about their menstrual cycle.

But getting people to understand how this kind of stuff works is about as hard as getting them to understand how elections result in judges getting appointed.

[CloudWatcher]

19. more info on those apps ...

From consumer reports ... but I don't agree with their conclusions. Even apps that just store data locally are a risk, since that data can also be exposed if your phone is taken.

"These Period Tracker Apps Say They Put Privacy First. Here's What We Found."

https://www.consumerreports.org/health-privacy/period-tracker-apps-privacy-a2278134145/

[keithbvadu2]

36. One lady in an article said the tracking apps figured that she was pregnant due to her browsing hist

One lady in an article said the tracking apps figured that she was pregnant due to her browsing history even though she never said she was pregnant.

She started getting ads for baby related products.

[Effete Snob]

37. Yeah.. kind of an urban legend...

https://medium.com/@colin.fraser/target-didnt-figure-out-a-teen-girl-was-pregnant-before-her-father-did-a6be13b973a5

Shortly after the publication of the initial article, a tech writer at Forbes highlighted this anecdote in an article under the headline How Target Figured Out A Teen Girl Was Pregnant Before Her Father Did. Apparently she knew how not to bury the lede.

[usonian]

6. Thanks! I'm adding the link to my Abortion Info page

Trusted sources for abortion information.
https://www.democraticunderground.com/100216851887

[Texasgal]

8. I'm curious as to how they

plan to implement this.

Women travel for all sorts of reasons.

[Ocelot II]

9. I am horrified by this. Where abortion is concerned we've turned into f'ing North Korea!

If women have to resort to these extraordinary measures just in order to travel to a state where abortion is legal, what have we become?

[RKP5637]

11. It's unbelievable what the US has turned into and I really fear it's going to get far worse. n/t

[OMGWTF]

24. Rethuglican Jesus is a fking jerkhole.

[RKP5637]

33. Yes!!! n/t

[RKP5637]

10. Excellent Advice!!! K&R!!!!!!!!!! n/t

[Kath2]

12. Many thanks!

[MichMan]

14. Wouldn't any employers offering to pay travel expenses expect any documentation?

First I would think the person would have to request a travel voucher, and then show documentation from the medical provider.

I'm retired, so I dont know how that would work.

[DBoon]

16. don't take your cell phone with you to any related medical appointment

leave it at home, turned on

[SKKY]

17. This is sage counsel because you know they're gonna starting looking...

...for ways to modify HIPAA that requires disclosure in the case of an abortion.

[TheRickles]

18. This won't be useable information for women on the other side of the Digital Divide. :-(

[ancianita]

20. Thank you. The Electronic Frontier Foundation also has useful advice for providers,

seekers or advocates.

If you or someone you know is concerned about unwanted data collection while navigating online resources, providing or seeking services, or organizing with others, here is a list of guides to stay safe while doing so.


Your Security Plan
Communicating with Others
Keeping Your Data Safe
Mobile Phones: Location Tracking
Attending a Protest
How to: Circumvent Online Censorship
Protecting Yourself on Social Networks

https://ssd.eff.org/en/playlist/reproductive-healthcare-service-provider-seeker-or-advocate?fbclid=IwAR18nbrB6CzY7CbzEKhcra2i54VpT1xxHLElf4aTWbFZfyufYa4PDKuUXiI

[CousinIT]

26. Great link. Bookmarking. n/t

[Hekate]

27. Thanks for the reminder about EFF. It's been awhile & I'll go over and donate.

[ancianita]

28. Good idea. Last time I donated they sent me a pretty cool EFF T-shirt.

[Hekate]

29. Definitely need another T-shirt

[mrchris]

21. imessage sells your info

Do not under any circumstances use imessage and expect security. If you can’t talk face to face learn and use PGP.

[bucolic_frolic]

22. Deception will ensnare the Gestation Gestapo, and then the lawsuits will fly

Then the Libs will own them!

Seriously, this is a growth industry. Fake pregnancy, fake abortion trail will lead to lawsuits.

[ancianita]

30. Yep, it's a growth industry, this fomenting of suffering and extra costs to families.

And there will be money to be made, mostly by men, from all this suffering inflicted on women.

But women should get legal help in filing harassment and defamation suits, too. It's a common legal practice for every firm to dedicate 10% of its profits to pro bono work.

[OMGWTF]

23. I hate it here.

In my next life I am going to be Canadian.

[Hekate]

25. Kick. Rec. Bookmark. Download. Thank you, CousinIT.

In solidarity.

[PXR-5]

31. What a dystopian country it has become. NT

[Ilsa]

35. I watched Anon, starring Clive Owen and Amanda Seyfried.

"Set in a futuristic world where privacy and anonymity no longer exist, the plot follows a troubled detective (Owen) who comes across a young woman (Seyfried) who has evaded the government's transparency system."

The story involves hackers and crimes committed to frame someone else. The purpose of the data collection and massive Ether in which ocular implants store data is to establish a record to dissuade people from committing crimes. Transparency is supposed to keep society safe. But there is a growing number of people who realize the system doesn't make them feel safe. Scary movie.

[Ilsa]

34. Another thing: your HCG levels will remain higher than normal

for a few months afterwards. Don't schedule a physical or allow blood to be drawn during this time unless you have a way to explain the higher hormone level. The only exception would be if you think you're experiencing a complication and need medical help.

[liberalla]

38. Bookmarking! Thank you!

[BrightKnight]

39. Disposable Raspberry Pi with Off shore VPN that does not sell or share data.

Last edited Mon Jun 27, 2022, 01:48 AM - Edit history (4)

They might be able to get data from US companies.

IDK, I would probably pick up a Raspberry Pi and connect to a public Wi-Fi using trustworthy VPN with data logs that law enforcement can’t get. I would burn the flash memory card and toss the Raspberry.

Pay for health care with cash and wear a mask

I’t sounds paranoid but the consequences could be high. Some organization should setup a freedom kit to help people that are not technically savvy.