Google to erase location history for abortion clinic visits

Google will soon automatically delete location-history data of users visiting abortion clinics and other “personal” medical facilities, the company said Friday in a statement.

The announcement comes just a few days after the Supreme Court overturned the constitutional right to abortion, opening the doors for states to prosecute those who violate bans on termination of pregnancies.

“Protecting our users’ privacy and securing their data is core to Google’s work,” Jen Fitzpatrick, a Google senior vice president, wrote in the statement titled “Protecting people’s privacy on health topics.”

“That’s why we design products to help people keep their personal information private, safe, and secure — with easy-to-use tools and built-in protections,” she added, announcing new steps the tech giant is taking to protect user privacy around health issues.

According to Fitzpatrick, one of the ways the company helps users maintain control of their data is by letting them take charge of their location history, an account setting that is off by default, and that gives users the option to delete their data whenever they want to.

In her statement, published on the company’s blog, Fitzpatrick outlined new features that are designed to enhance users’ privacy protection.

“Some of the places people visit — including medical facilities like counseling centers, domestic violence shelters, abortion clinics, fertility centers, addiction treatment facilities, weight loss clinics, cosmetic surgery clinics, and others — can be particularly personal,” she wrote

“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,” she added. “This change will take effect in the coming weeks.”

Additionally, Google will soon roll out updates that will let users delete multiple menstruation logs at once on apps such as Google Fit and Fitbit, as such data could potentially be used against those seeking an abortion, according to some legal experts and abortion and privacy advocates.

The company plans to continue to look for new ways to strengthen and improve users’ privacy when using its products, according to Fitzpatrick. It also supports efforts by the U.S. Congress to reach a bipartisan agreement on nationwide privacy protections.

But until that happens, she added, “we will continue our focus on securing our products and protecting the privacy of our users around the world.”