Opinion: Civil Rights Attorney Cynthia Conti-Cook ’03 Writes for the LA Times “The End of Roe Means We’ll Be Criminalized for More of our Data”

In an op-ed for the LA Times, civil rights attorney Cynthia Conti-Cook ’03 and Kate Bertash raise serious legal concerns over how the overturning of Roe could impact data privacy and they advocate for more robust protections of our digital autonomy. “The leak of a draft opinion indicating the Supreme Court’s intent to overturn Roe vs. Wade raises huge concerns for how online searches, text messages, and emails can be used to target and criminalize pregnant people seeking abortion care and support,” they write. “Digital autonomy and bodily autonomy are inextricably linked. Just as we need the right to ownership and control over our bodies, we should have the same over our data. But this has not been the case . . . At least as far back as 2015, we’ve seen law enforcement extract data from devices and present it as evidence in criminal cases against women facing charges related to terminating their pregnancies.” Conti-Cook and Bertash also lay out three steps individuals can take to help reduce the digital footprint of their internet research into abortion and related services in anticipation of the Supreme Court ruling.

Post Date: 05-24-2022