SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (KHQA) — The state has released guidance on how women can exercise caution while using reproductive care apps and online platforms.
Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul says these apps and websites might track users’ search and location information, which could be shared with third parties.
“In anticipation of the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade, several states – including those that share borders with Illinois – enacted draconian policies to immediately limit or criminalize abortion. As a result, millions of Americans are now faced with searching for alternative methods of managing their reproductive health or seeking abortion services. It is critical that before using apps, web platforms or search engines, people be aware that their personal data could be shared with third parties or used to identify their location,” Raoul said. “Women have a right to use web-based tools to seek reproductive health care without worrying that their data or location is being shared with third parties. I strongly encourage people to review my office’s free guidance to limit the personal data that can be collected and shared with others.”
The state recommends taking the following steps to limit the personal information that is collected and potentially shared with third parties:
- Turn off your cell phone’s location services, particularly when visiting a location that you want to remain private. Apps can share location information with other entities such as data brokers, and turning off location services prevents your phone from transmitting your location. Generally, location services and tracking can be turned off by changing your phone’s privacy settings.
- Turn off your phone’s ad personalization feature. Companies can determine which ads to display on your phone by accessing your search history, location, sites visited, apps utilized and other data. Apple users can turn off ad personalization by going into the phone’s privacy settings. Android phone users should go into the phone settings and opting to reset the advertising ID.
- Adjust your online privacy settings. Limit additional forms of location tracking, such as those used by search engines and mapping apps, by changing privacy settings within your account settings. Prior to installing a new app and granting access to your information, be aware of the permissions the app is requesting.
- Do not share sensitive personal information on social media. Be aware that information posted on social media could be publicly-available if you do not limit sharing.
- Do not post on social media while visiting reproductive care facilities if you want to ensure the visit remains private. Even if your device’s location tracking is turned off, social media postings and tags associated with nearby businesses could be combined with your search history to reveal personal information.
- Use encrypted messaging instead of unprotected SMS text messages. Encrypted messages allow only the intended recipient to read the message and prevent the contents from being intercepted by any third parties.
- Protect your online history by using a private web browser, your device’s “Do Not Track” option or a virtual private network (VPN). If researching reproductive care, use a private web browser that does not save your search history and blocks web trackers. Otherwise, use your browser in private mode so it does not collect and store your online searches. Always enable your device’s “Do Not Track” option, which asks that websites not use tracking cookies. Be aware, however, those requests do not have to be granted. Using a VPN prevents third parties from tracking your IP address because the VPN allows you to browse using an IP address that differs from your actual IP address.