Privacy Advocates Warn of AI Surveillance Targeting Abortion Seekers
Following the overturning of Roe v. Wade, digital privacy experts warn that location data, search histories, and artificial intelligence could be weaponized to track and prosecute women seeking abortions.
Following the overturning of Roe v. Wade, digital privacy advocates urge women to delete menstrual tracking apps, disable location sharing, and use encrypted browsers to protect themselves. With numerous states moving to criminalize abortion, experts fear prosecutors and private citizens use digital footprints to build cases against those seeking to end a pregnancy. There is growing concern that artificial intelligence plays a central role in this emerging digital dragnet.
Data brokers like SafeGraph already sell highly detailed mobile phone location information about people visiting abortion clinics, including their travel origins and destinations. Although this data lacks direct names, investigators easily cross-reference these location traces with public records to identify individuals. This explicit location data clearly indicates an abortion visit without needing advanced technology to interpret it.
However, artificial intelligence proves highly effective at analyzing subtle patterns across multiple data streams to identify suspected abortion seekers. AI systems connect faint digital clues, such as routine stops at specific pharmacies or private social interactions, to build cases against individuals. In response to these threats, advocacy groups like the Partnership on AI call on the tech community to prioritize user data privacy and human rights in the development of new AI systems.