WITH ROE IN DOUBT, SOME FEAR TECH SURVEILLANCE OF PREGNANCY
AppleMagazine|May 20, 2022
When Chandler Jones realized she was pregnant during her junior year of college, she turned to a trusted source for information and advice.
WITH ROE IN DOUBT, SOME FEAR TECH SURVEILLANCE OF PREGNANCY

Her cellphone.

"I couldn't imagine before the Internet, trying to navigate this," said Jones, 26, who graduates Tuesday from the University of Baltimore School of Law. "I didn't know if hospitals did abortions. I knew Planned Parenthood did abortions, but there were none near me. So I kind of just Googled."

But with each search, Jones was being surreptitiously followed by the phone apps and browsers that track us as we click away, capturing even our most sensitive health data.

Web searches. Period apps. Fitness trackers. Advice helplines. GPS. The often obscure companies collecting our health history and geolocation data may know more about us than we know ourselves.

For now, the information is mostly used to sell us things. But in a post-Roe world if the Supreme Court soon reverses the 1973 decision that legalized abortion, as a draft opinion suggests it may - pregnancies could be surveilled and the data shared with police or sold to critics or vigilantes.

"The value of these tools for law enforcement is for how they really get to peek into the soul," said Cynthia Conti-Cook, a Ford Foundation technology fellow. "It gives the mental chatter inside our heads.

And our digital trail only becomes clearer when we leave home, as security cameras, license plate readers and other tools track our movements. Their development has raced far ahead of the laws and regulations that might govern them.

For myriad reasons, both political and philosophical, data privacy laws in the U.S. have lagged far behind those adopted in Europe in 2018.

This story is from the May 20, 2022 edition of AppleMagazine.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the May 20, 2022 edition of AppleMagazine.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM APPLEMAGAZINEView All
AUSTRALIA SHOULD DELAY SOCIAL MEDIA BAN FOR CHILDREN UNDER 16, BIG TECH SAYS
AppleMagazine

AUSTRALIA SHOULD DELAY SOCIAL MEDIA BAN FOR CHILDREN UNDER 16, BIG TECH SAYS

An advocate for major social media platforms told an Australian Senate committee that laws to ban children younger than 16 from the sites should be delayed until next year at least instead of being rushed through the Parliament.

time-read
2 mins  |
November 29, 2024
APPLE AND GOOGLE FACE UK INVESTIGATION INTO MOBILE BROWSER DOMINANCE
AppleMagazine

APPLE AND GOOGLE FACE UK INVESTIGATION INTO MOBILE BROWSER DOMINANCE

Apple and Google aren’t giving consumers a genuine choice of mobile web browsers, a British watchdog said in a report that recommends they face an investigation under new U.K. digital rules taking effect next year.

time-read
1 min  |
November 29, 2024
THE PSYCHOLOGY OF RETIREMENT INCOME: FROM SAVING TO SPENDING
AppleMagazine

THE PSYCHOLOGY OF RETIREMENT INCOME: FROM SAVING TO SPENDING

The narrative of a miserly, Scrooge-like figure hoarding his wealth for years instead of enjoying his retirement might seem unbelievable—but unfortunately, it isn’t relegated only to fiction. It’s a cold reality for many retirees.

time-read
2 mins  |
November 29, 2024
'BUY NOW, PAY LATER' IS MORE POPULAR THAN EVER. IT CAN COST MORE THAN YOU THINK
AppleMagazine

'BUY NOW, PAY LATER' IS MORE POPULAR THAN EVER. IT CAN COST MORE THAN YOU THINK

More shoppers than ever are on track to use ‘buy now, pay later’ plans this holiday season, as the ability to spread out payments looks attractive at a time when Americans still feel the lingering effect of inflation and already have record-high credit card debt.

time-read
2 mins  |
November 29, 2024
DIRECTV CALLS OFF ACQUISITION OF RIVAL DISH.POSSIBLY ENDING A YEARSLONG PURSUIT
AppleMagazine

DIRECTV CALLS OFF ACQUISITION OF RIVAL DISH.POSSIBLY ENDING A YEARSLONG PURSUIT

DirecTV is calling off its planned acquisition of rival Dish after the offer was rejected by bond holders at that company.

time-read
1 min  |
November 29, 2024
IS 'GLICKED' THE NEW 'BARBENHEIMER'? 'WICKED' AND 'GLADIATOR II' COLLIDE IN THEATERS
AppleMagazine

IS 'GLICKED' THE NEW 'BARBENHEIMER'? 'WICKED' AND 'GLADIATOR II' COLLIDE IN THEATERS

“Barbenheimer” was a phenomenon impossible to manufacture. But, more than a year later, that hasn’t stopped people from trying to make “Glicked” — or even “Babyratu” — happen.

time-read
4 mins  |
November 29, 2024
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE PROPOSED MEASURES DESIGNED TO CURB GOOGLE'S SEARCH MONOPOLY
AppleMagazine

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE PROPOSED MEASURES DESIGNED TO CURB GOOGLE'S SEARCH MONOPOLY

U.S. regulators are proposing aggressive measures to restore competition to the online search market after a federal judge ruled Google maintained an illegal monopoly for the last decade.

time-read
3 mins  |
November 29, 2024
ELECTRIC CAR SALES ARE SLOWING IN THE US AND EUROPE AS BOTH FANS AND SKEPTICS SHARE CONCERNS
AppleMagazine

ELECTRIC CAR SALES ARE SLOWING IN THE US AND EUROPE AS BOTH FANS AND SKEPTICS SHARE CONCERNS

While sales of electric vehicles surge in China, adoption of more environmentally friendly vehicles is stumbling in the United States and Europe as carmakers and governments struggle to meet years-old promises about affordability and charging stations.

time-read
5 mins  |
November 29, 2024
IT'S ALMOST TIME FOR SPOTIFY WRAPPED.WHEN CAN YOU EXPECT YOUR 2024 RECAP?
AppleMagazine

IT'S ALMOST TIME FOR SPOTIFY WRAPPED.WHEN CAN YOU EXPECT YOUR 2024 RECAP?

It’s almost that time of year: Spotify is gearing up to release its annual Wrapped, personalized recaps of users’ listening habits and year in audio.

time-read
2 mins  |
November 29, 2024
RANSOMWARE ATTACK ON SOFTWARE SUPPLIER DISRUPTS OPERATIONS FOR STARBUCKS AND OTHER RETAILERS
AppleMagazine

RANSOMWARE ATTACK ON SOFTWARE SUPPLIER DISRUPTS OPERATIONS FOR STARBUCKS AND OTHER RETAILERS

A ransomware attack that hit a major software provider last week caused disruptions for a handful of companies over recent days, from Starbucks to U.K. grocery giant Morrisons.

time-read
1 min  |
November 29, 2024