Democrats in the House Oversight Committee opened a new probe on Friday into the digital privacy practices of five major data brokers and five health apps, investigating the collection and sale of sensitive personal data related to access to abortion and other reproductive health services.
The Oversight Committee was alarmed by recent reports that data broker companies – which aggregate consumer data from various sources – have been selling location data of individuals who have used reproductive health services, including abortion.
That way these companies have potentially allowed misuse of sensitive information that can invade the privacy of patients seeking reproductive health care.
Sending letters to the companies, the Democratic leaders are now demanding information on how they collect and sell – in many cases- reproductive health information of individuals to be sent to the committee by July 21.
They argue that the answers they’re demanding from these companies will help them to ensure better privacy safeguards in a post-Roe world preparing draft legislation that’s shaping up to be a new area of focus.
According to the recent study they cite in the letter, 87% of the 23 most popular women’s health and reproductive health apps shared user data with third parties, although only half of them asked their users for consent.
In the aftermath of the Supreme Court’s decision overturning Roe v. Wade and allowing dozens of states to completely ban abortion, concerns have been raised about what could become criminal evidence used against doctors and patients and how those bans will be enforced.
The new House investigation, which comes two weeks after the Supreme Court’s ruling, targets the fears that authorities may use geographic data mobile phones are collecting to locate people seeking care at clinics.
They can also learn about interest in abortion using the digital breadcrumbs that search and chat history referring to clinics or medication create.
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