Democrats seek tech privacy probe as Roe falls

Lawmakers from Oregon, New Jersey, California, and Massachusetts sent a joint letter to federal regulators Friday calling for an investigation of tech privacy practices. The letter, sent before the Supreme Court released its Dobbs v. Jackson decision, requests that Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan launch an investigation into Apple and Google for allegedly deceiving millions of mobile phone users by enabling third parties to collect their personal data. The lawmakers worried prosecutors could use the data against women seeking abortions in states that outlaw the procedure.

What personal data, exactly? Location data, online search histories, advice helplines, and women’s period and fitness tracking apps are the among the data that could be collected from a mobile device. Privacy experts say those data sources could be used for surveillance — either by law enforcement authorities or private individuals seeking to prevent illegal abortions.

Dig deeper: Read our ongoing coverage of the Dobbs decision at wng.org.