Google to delete location history of users visiting abortion clinics in the US

In response to mounting concerns that their information could be used to prosecute people seeking reproductive care and other personal services, Google said that it will automatically delete records of user trips to sensitive areas, including abortion clinics in the United States (US).

Without mentioning abortion, Google stated on Friday that it would keep fighting back against improper or excessively broad requests for data by the US government.

“Some of the places people visit — including medical facilities like counseling centres, domestic violence shelters, abortion clinics, fertility centres, addiction treatment facilities, weight loss clinics, cosmetic surgery clinics, and others — can be particularly personal,” Google said in a post on its website. “If our systems identify that someone has visited one of these places, we will delete these entries from Location History soon after they visit.”

Google also said that it will release updates that would let those who use its Fitbit wearables to track their periods to remove numerous logs at once.

The development came a few days after the US Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade, a landmark ruling that granted the right to abortion. The court determined that there is no constitutional right to an abortion, leaving it up to the states to decide whether or not to allow abortions.