A group of US senators have urged the tech giants Apple and Google to prohibit the apps in their app stores from collecting data that could be used to identify women seeking abortions, media reports say.
The letter, signed by five Democratic and independent senators, comes in the wake of a leaked draft of an upcoming majority opinion that indicates that the Supreme Court plans to overturn Roe v. Wade, the 1973 decision establishing the constitutional right to an abortion, reports CNET.
It also follows Tuesday’s publication of a separate letter signed by 42 Democratic and independent senators and members of Congress, calling on Google to stop collecting and retaining location data from its users, as it could be used to identify people who are seeking to obtain abortions.
The senators expressed concern that anti-abortion prosecutors and others will try to access and leverage personal information — including data related to location, online activity, health and biometrics — “in ways that threaten the wellbeing of those exercising their right to choose”.
Many apps in both Apple’s and Google’s respective stores routinely collect this kind of data, then sell it to brokers, the senators said.
And nothing is stopping those brokers from sharing or selling that data to prosecutors or “even vigilantes,” citing the letter, to Google CEO Sundar Pichai and Apple CEO Tim Cook, the report said.
–IANS
vc/svn/
(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Dear Reader,
Dear Reader,Business Standard has always strived hard to provide up-to-date information and commentary on developments that are of interest to you and have wider political and economic implications for the country and the world. Your encouragement and constant feedback on how to improve our offering have only made our resolve and commitment to these ideals stronger. Even during these difficult times arising out of Covid-19, we continue to remain committed to keeping you informed and updated with credible news, authoritative views and incisive commentary on topical issues of relevance.
We, however, have a request.
As we battle the economic impact of the pandemic, we need your support even more, so that we can continue to offer you more quality content. Our subscription model has seen an encouraging response from many of you, who have subscribed to our online content. More subscription to our online content can only help us achieve the goals of offering you even better and more relevant content. We believe in free, fair and credible journalism. Your support through more subscriptions can help us practise the journalism to which we are committed.
Support quality journalism and subscribe to Business Standard.
Digital Editor
