The Center for Democracy and Technology recently released its recommendations to protect reproductive health data and privacy.
With the Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization's first year anniversary later this month, the Center for Democracy and Technology issued a news release May 31, with recommendations for companies to protect reproductive health data.
"There's no upside for a company that is faced with a request to turn over private information about their customers in an abortion-related prosecution: there is only reputational, and potentially legal, risk," Center for Democracy and Technology President and CEO Alexandra Givens said in the release. "The best way for companies to avoid being asked to reveal their customers' most private information is to not collect that data in the first place."
The recommendations included a warning that businesses — not only healthcare providers — that gather and disseminate such data may expose a person's health and healthcare preferences, according to the release. That information could end up in online searches, browsing history, message content, data shared with personal apps and location data, all of which have already been utilized in lawsuits involving abortion and open up liability for companies.
The recommendations exhorts businesses to carefully consider the kinds of user data they gather, minimize the collection of personally identifiable information, shorten the time they keep data on hand and stop sharing such information in any situation that isn't directly related to offering services, the release said.
Businesses also should establish rigorous procedures for handling inquiries from law enforcement, particularly in light of new state shield laws that forbid sharing information with outside investigations into abortion, according to the release.
"When companies reduce the personal data they collect and commit not to sell or share that data, they rightly earn their customers' trust," Givens said in the release. "We're grateful to the health service providers, data privacy experts and other advisors who helped inform this robust guidance for companies to follow after Dobbs."
