Keep Your Abortion Private & Secure
We’re happy you’re here to learn more about digital security & abortion! This page is organized into different security-related threats. Along with each scenario is a list of digital security tips to neutralize the threat!
Understanding Digital Security Threats
These are possible concerns you might have:
- Seeing advertisements related to pregnancy/abortion
- Tech companies like Facebook and Google storing information about your pregnancy/abortion
- That the person who pays your phone bill can see your texts
- That someone who can access, steal, or demand your phone will see your messages or your browsing history
- Your phone company keeps copies of your browsing history or texts about your abortion
- Protestors outside the clinic may violate your privacy
Privacy Protection Summary
If you want to keep your searches and movements private, follow the solutions outlined below:
| Target Concern | Recommended Tool/Action |
| Targeted Advertisements | Disable mobile ad ID and opt out of personalized ads |
| Search History Tracking | Use DuckDuckGo instead of Google to search |
| Browser Cookies & Scripts | Use Firefox Focus instead of your phone’s default browser |
| Location Surveillance | Turn off location sharing in app settings |
Avoiding Targeted Advertisements
The problem: While browsing the internet and using our phones feels private, many companies actually watch what we do online and use our phones to track where we go. These records are used to target us with ads, and sold to data brokers and advertising firms. This is how Facebook can show you an ad for the items you just browsed in an online store!
The solution: If you want to keep your searches and movements private, follow these steps:
- Disable your mobile ad ID: Turning off your mobile ad ID will limit the ways that companies can connect your location, search data, and browsing history.
- Opt out of personalized ads on Google: You’ll have to log into your Google account, navigate to “Data & personalization”, find the “Ad personalization panel”, and uncheck the box about personalizing ads.
- Opt out of targeted ads on Facebook & Instagram: Find your Facebook settings, then click on the “Ads” category, and opt out of the various options on that page, including ads that follow you around the internet and ads on Facebook based on websites you’ve looked at.
Preventing Data Storage by Big Tech Companies
The problem: All of these companies — Google, Facebook, Amazon, your cell phone service provider, your internet provider, any app with access to your location data — keep records of what we do. These records are not only used for advertising, but can also be bought by governments and handed over to the police if the company gets a warrant.
The solution: To protect your data, consider these privacy-focused alternatives:
- Turn off location sharing: Many apps ask for location permissions and sell that data to advertisers; law enforcement also buys this data to surveil communities.
- Use DuckDuckGo instead of Google to search: DuckDuckGo is a privacy-focused search engine that does not save your search data or collect any information about you. DuckDuckGo does not sell your data to advertisers, either.
- Use Firefox Focus instead of your phone’s default browser: Your phone’s browser stores your browsing history and lets cookies and scripts track you. Firefox Focus is a privacy-focused browser that blocks third party trackers and won’t sell your data.
Important Legal Notices
These privacy recommendations are for informational purposes only, and do not constitute legal advice. Please consult with your own counsel for any questions on applicable local, state, or federal laws. Do you have specific legal questions about your abortion experience? Reach out to the Repro Legal HelpLine. This guide is also available in Spanish | Esta guía también está disponible en español.