Planned Parenthood could share personal data like the ZIP codes of abortion seekers with Google and Facebook, report says

Rosie Bradbury
Updated ·2 min read
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  • Planned Parenthood's website can share users' locations with Google, The Washington Post reports.

  • Data on users' ZIP codes and the type of abortion they sought can flow to third parties.

  • After the report, Planned Parenthood confirmed it has suspended this data sharing.

Detailed data on abortion seekers who use Planned Parenthood's health center search on its website could be shared with Facebook, Google, TikTok, and Hotjar, according to an investigation by privacy app Lockdown Privacy reported by The Washington Post.

Data shared with Google from Planned Parenthood's website can include the IP address, approximate ZIP codes, the type of abortion sought, and the particular clinic used by someone seeking an abortion.

Planned Parenthood has temporarily suspended its marketing analytics on webpages related to abortion search, Dr. Diana Contreras, Chief Health Care Officer at Planned Parenthood, confirmed to Insider on Thursday. The decision was made "out of an abundance of caution."

The company will also "be engaging with Meta/Facebook and other technology companies about how their policies can better protect people seeking abortion care," Contreras said.

Planned Parenthood spokesperson Lauren Kokum told Insider that it "utilizes marketing tools in our awareness campaigns to effectively reach people who are seeking sexual and reproductive health care, information, and education."

Privacy experts are raising the alarm over the potential for digital surveillance of abortion seekers, as abortion bans sweep parts of the US following the repeal of Roe v. Wade last week.

Information such as user search history and IP addresses can be subject to judicial subpoenas in criminal cases. Abortion is now prohibited in 17 states, a number that is expected to grow as legislators react to the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe, a 1973 ruling which protected abortion rights.

A VICE report last month caused ripples after a reporter successfully purchased phone location data on people who visited abortion clinics from a data broker. Democrats have called on the FTC to more securely protect the personal data of people seeking abortions.

Read the original article on Business Insider