In a Post-Roe World, the Future of Digital Privacy Looks Even Grimmer

Some location data analysis companies, including Foursquare, have recently announced Restrict usageSharing and selling data on consumer visits to sensitive locations such as assisted reproductive technology clinics. However, law enforcement agencies with warrants can obtain records of such locations.

Telephone companies operating the backbone of wireless internet for smartphones are making a fuss about plans to change their data policies after the Roe v. Wade reversal. CTIA, an industry group representing AT & T, T-Mobile, and carriers, declined to comment, and Verizon’s chief revenue officer, Frank Boulben, said there was nothing new to announce.

So far, those who are trying to hide digital trucks have limited options. Here are them.

Surveillance self-defense

Several tools can be used to counter surveillance, including virtual private networks, encrypted messaging apps, private web browsers, and burner email accounts, civil free groups and privacy experts say. ..

Virtual private network

Contents: A VPN creates a virtual tunnel that protects your browsing information from your Internet service provider. When people use VPN software, their devices connect to the VPN provider’s server. All web traffic goes through the VPN provider’s internet connection. Therefore, if your internet provider is browsing the Planned Parenthood website and you try to listen to web traffic, your provider will only see the internet address of the VPN server connected to your VPN service.

What it doesn’t do: VPN does not hide the location of the device from the cellular network. This is because the device must be registered with a nearby cell tower before connecting to the VPN. This reveals the location of the device to the telephone company.

Encrypted messaging

Contents: When a message is encrypted via chat services such as Apple’s iMessage, Meta’s WhatsApp, Signal, etc., it will be scrambled at the time of transmission, making it unreadable to anyone other than the intended recipient, and passing through the app’s server. It becomes unreadable when it reaches the recipient. ..